


v * Y * ° ^ • -* 







^\cf 






V 



o< ■% 










w* ;4 












' % V % 

" ^ 



%^ 



r> 



* # 






A<F 






"/. 













r0 v * * * o / N^ rtf * * * o , %£> ^ ^ s « o ,. ^ 



<> 






^ <3* 



.V 









£• <2* 



^ r*« 



V 










**-^ 



* ^ ^ v 
s ^ 



W - cS ^ 






V 5 %<, p^ ~ c, 



H a 



* % 



Q>. *; 



\*> 



^^ 



^> v^ 



\>" ^ ** , ^ 




5 ^ 











v v , 









■J 



^ °^ 









V v °- \ v CL ' * 

\^_ v. -%^ 



V % 






<£ ^ 
^ ^ 







^ /' ^ 



<f % \ 









-O, ' ^^ A 



* 



^ 



O-. * 



Q, ^.*s* ^ 



95, "< :, ^ & 




°o, ^/?V^ & 



Of this LARGE PAPER EDITION 
FIFTY COPIES have been printed 
of which this is No. „ _.... 



i 



THE LAST WORDS 

(REAL AND TRADITIONAL) 

OF DISTINGUISHED 
MEN AND WOMEN 

COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES 
BY 

FREDERIC ROWLAND MARVIN 



The tongues of dying men 
Enforce attention like deep harmony ; 
Where words are scarce they're seldom spent in vain, 
For they breathe truth that breathe their words in pain. 

— Shakspeare 




NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO 

FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 

1901 



> 
> > 









THE LIBRARY OF 

CONGRESS, 
Two Copies Received 

AUG. 27 1901 

Copyright entry 
CLASS ^XXo. N«. 

JS7& 

COPY B. 



Copyright 1901 

by 

Frederic Rowland Marvin 

(June) 



?(3 



JLf 



XCo ms TKatfe 

tbts Boofe is most ftovingls 

2>efcicate& 



Neither is there anything of which I am so in- 
quisitive, and delight to inform myself, as the 
manner of men's deaths, their words, looks, 
and bearing; nor any places in history I am so 
intent upon; and it is manifest enough, by my 
crowding in examples of this kind, that I have 
a particular fancy for that subject. If I were 
a writer of books, I would compile a register, 
with a comment, of the various deaths of men: 
he who should teach men to die, would at the 
same time teach them to live. — Montaigne. 



Last Words of Distinguished 
Men and Women. 

Adam (Alexander, Dr., headmaster at the High 
School in Edinburgh, and the author of " Roman 
Antiquities"), 1741-1809. "It grows dark, boys. 
You may go." 

" It grows dark, boys. You may go." 

(Thus the master gently said, 
Just before, in accents low, 

Circling friends moaned, " He is dead.") 

Unto him, a setting sun 

Tells the school's dismissal hour, 
Deeming not that he alone 

Deals with evening's dark'ning power. 

All his thought is with the boys, 

Taught by him in light to grow; 
Light withdrawn, and hushed the noise, 

Fall the passwords, " You may go." 

Go, boys, go, and take your rest; 

Weary is the book-worn brain: 
Day sinks idly in the west, 

Tired of glory, tired of gain. 

Careless are the shades that creep 

O'er the twilight, to and fro; 
Dusk is lost in shadows deep : 
// grows dark, boys. You may go. 

Mary B. Dodge. 
I 



Xast Timorfcs of 

Abd-er-Rahman III. (surnamed An-Nasir- 
Lideen-Ulah or Lidinillah, that is to say, " the de- 
fender of the religion of God," eighth Sultan and first 
Caliph of Cordova. Under Abd-er-Rahman III. the 
Mohammedan empire in Spain attained the height 
of its glory), 886-961. "Fifty years have passed 
since I became Caliph. Riches, honors, pleasures — / 
have enjoyed all. In this long time of seeming 
happiness I have numbered the days on which I have 
been happy. Fourteen." Though these sad words 
correctly express the spirit of the man who is re- 
ported to have spoken them, they are purely tradi- 
tional. 

Adams (John, second President of the United 
States), 1735-1826. " Independence forever!" 

He died on the Fourth of July, the anniversary of 
the Declaration of Independence; and it is thought 
that his last words were suggested by the noise of 
the celebration. Some say his last words were, " Jef- 
ferson survives ; " if so, he was mistaken, for Jeffer- 
son passed away at an earlier hour the same day. 

Adams (John Quincy, sixth President of the 
United States), 1767- 1848. " It is the last of earth! 
I am content! " On the twenty-first of February, 
1848, while in his seat in the Capitol, he was struck 
with paralysis, and died two days later. 

Addison (Joseph, poet and essayist), 1672- 17 19. 
" See in what peace a Christian can die! " These 



2)tetingufsbefc flDen anD OTomen 

words were addressed to Lord Warwick, an accom- 
plished but dissolute youth, to whom Addison was 
nearly related. 

Adrian or Hadrian (Publius JElius, the Roman 
Emperor), 76-138. " my poor soul, whither art 
thou going? " 

Adrian wrote both in Greek and Latin. Among 
his Latin poems (preserved by Spartianus, who 
wrote his life), are these lines addressed to his own 
soul: 

Animula vagula blandula, 
Hospes comesque corporis, 
Quae nunc abibis in loca? 
Pallidula, rigida, nudula, 
Nee, ut soles, dabis jocos. 

Soul of me ! floating and flitting, anH fond ! 
Thou and this body were house-mates together; 
Wilt thou begone now, and whither? 
Pallid, and naked, and cold; 
Not to laugh, nor be glad, as of old. 

Adrian is known in history as one of the greatest 
of the Roman Emperors. It is hardly too much to 
say that, by his progress through all the provinces 
and his policy of peace, he was the consolidater of 
the empire founded a century and a half before by 
Augustus. He was the author of the Roman Wall 
between England and Scotland ; he beautified the city 
of Athens; he founded the modern Adrianople; he 
built for his own mausoleum what is now the Castle 



Xast Mor&s of 

of St. Anglo at Rome. He was also a patron of the 
fine arts and of literature. 

Of the famous lines, " The Dying Adrian's Ad- 
dress to His Soul," no fewer than one hundred and 
sixteen translations into English have been collected, 
the translators including Pope, Prior, Byron, Dean 
Merivale, and the late Earl of Carnarvon. It should 
be added that Pope's familiar version, beginning 
" Vital spark of heav'nly flame," is a paraphrase 
rather than a translation. I quote Prior's version : 

" Poor little, quivering, fluttering thing, 

Must we no longer live together? 
And dost thou prune thy trembling wing, 

To take thy flight thou know'st not whither? 

"Thy humorous vein, thy pleasing folly 

Lie all neglected, all forgot: 
And pensive, wavering, melancholy, 

Thou dread'st and hop'st thou know'st not what." 

This is the only certain composition of Adrian 
that has been preserved, though he is reported to 
have attempted many forms of literature. The au- 
thenticity of a letter ascribed to him with a reference 
to the Christians, is open to grave doubt. But now 
the sands of Egypt, which are daily yielding up so 
many secrets of antiquity, have given us what pur- 
ports to be a private letter addressed by the Emperor 
Adrian to his successor, Antoninus Pius, and — 
what is more interesting — it is written, like the ad- 
dress to his soul, in view of his approaching death. 
Unfortunately the papyrus is very fragmentary, but 

4 



2>fstmgutsbefc flDen an& TOomen 

its general meaning seems clear. We have evidently 
only the commencement of an elaborate epistle. After 
the assertion that his death is neither unexpected, 
nor lamentable, nor unreasonable, he says that he 
is prepared to die, though he misses his correspond- 
ent's presence and loving care. He goes on : 

" I do not intend to give the conventional reasons 
of philosophy for this attitude, but to make a plain 
statement of facts. . . . My father by birth 
died at the age of forty, a private person, so that I 
have lived more than half as long again as my father, 
and have reached about the same age as that of my 
mother when she died." 

All this accords with the known facts about 
Adrian. He died at the age of sixty-two, after a 
long illness, during which he was assiduously tended 
by Antoninus. Just before the end he withdrew to 
Baiae, leaving Antoninus in charge at Rome. His 
father had died when his son was ten years old; of 
his mother we know nothing. Prima facie, there is 
no improbability that letters of Adrian should be in 
circulation in Egypt, which he visited at least once. 
His freedman Phlegon is reported to have published 
a collection of them after his death. 

On the other hand, it should be frankly admitted 
that some suspicious circumstances attach to the let- 
ter. Of the antiquity of the papyrus there is no 
doubt, for the handwriting cannot be later than the 
end of the second century a. d., bringing it within 
sixty years (at farthest) from Adrian's death. (But 

5 



Xast movbs of 

it is written as a school exercise on the back of a 
taxing-list, which naturally gives rise to the sus- 
picion that it may be merely the composition of the 
schoolmaster. The actual form of the document is 
interesting. At the top are about fifteen lines, writ- 
ten in a clear cursive, or running, hand. Below, the 
first five lines are repeated in large, irregular uncials, 
or capital letters. It is impossible not to recognize 
here an exercise set by a schoolmaster and a copy 
begun by a pupil. 

The papyrus is one of the many found by Messrs. 
Grenfell and Hunt while excavating in the Fayoum 
on account of the Egypt Exploration Fund, and ap- 
pears in the volume issued by the Grseco-Roman 
Branch of Egypt Exploration Fund, called 
" Fayoum Towns and Their Papyri." 

/. S. Cotton in Biblia for November, 1900. 

Agis (King of Lacedsemonia, strangled by order 
of the Ephori. He was charged with subverting the 
laws of his country, but was in reality a brave and 
good man according to the light of the age in which 
he lived. He died with great calmness and courage), 
— 240. " Weep not for me" 

Agrippa (Henricus Cornelius, German physician, 
theologian and astrologer, skilled in alchemy and 
occult sciences), 1486-1535. " Begone, thou wretched 
beast, which hast utterly undone me" The story is 
that he was always accompanied by a devil in the 
shape of a black dog. When he perceived that death 

6 



2>fstm0Ui6befc /iDen anb TOomen 

was near he wished, by repentance, to free his soul 
from the guilt of witchcraft, and so took off the 
collar from his dog's neck. This collar was covered 
with magical characters. As he removed the collar 
he muttered these, his last words : " Begone, thou 
wretched beast, which hast utterly undone me." 
The familiar dog disappeared with Agrippa's death, 
and was never more seen. This curious story was 
for a long time believed by the common people, and 
is to be found in one form or another in many old 
books. 

Agrippa lectured on theology at Cologne, Pisa, 
Turin, and Pavia, and practiced medicine in France. 
Henry VIII. invited him to England, but he pre- 
ferred the court of Margaret of Austria, regent of 
the Low Countries. He died poor, leaving behind 
him a number of books, and among them " On the 
Vanity of the Sciences," which has been translated 
into English and other languages. 

Agrippina (mother of the Emperor Nero. She 
was one of the worst of women, and was condemned 
to death by her own son) , — 60. "Strike here! Level 
your rage against the womb which gave birth to such 
a monster" These words she said, placing her hand 
over her womb, to the man sent to dispatch her. 

Albert ( Francis- Augustus-Charles-Emmanuel, 
Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He married 
Queen Victoria, his cousin, the tenth of February, 
1840), 1 8 19- 1 861. " 1 have had wealth, rank and 

7 



Xast WLovbs ot 

power, but if these were all I had, how wretched I 
should be! " A few moments later he repeated the 
familiar lines: 

Rock of Ages cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in Thee. 

Inscription on the " Memorial Cairn " on a high 
mountain overlooking Balmoral Palace: "To the 
beloved memory of Albert the great and good Prince 
Consort, erected by his broken-hearted widow, Vic- 
toria R., 21 August, 1862." Upon another dressed 
slab, a few inches below the above, is this quotation : 
" He being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a 
long time: for his soul pleased the Lord, therefore 
hasted he to take him away from among the wicked/' 
Wisdom of Solomon, chap, iv: 13, 14. 

One year after Prince Albert died, the Queen 
erected a costly mausoleum in the grounds of Frog- 
more House, which is legally a part of the domain 
of Windsor Castle. The mausoleum is cruciform, 
eighty feet long, with transepts of seventy feet. As 
soon as it was completed and consecrated by the 
Bishop of Oxford, the remains of the Prince Con- 
sort were there deposited. Over the entrance is a 
Latin inscription, which in English reads as follows : 

WHAT WAS MORTAL OF PRINCE ALBERT 

HIS MOURNING WIDOW, QUEEN VICTORIA, 

HAS CAUSED TO BE DEPOSITED IN THIS SEPULCHER. 

FAREWELL, MY WELL BELOVED ! 

HERE AT LAST SHALL I REST WITH THEE. 

WITH THEE IN CHRIST SHALL RISE AGAIN. 

8 



2>tsttngutebe& flDen anfc TOomen 

Alexander (Jannseus, son of John Hyrcanus, 
succeeded his brother Aristobulus as King of Judea 
in 105 b. c. The Pharisees rose in rebellion against 
his authority; they hated him during his life, and 
cursed his memory when he was dead) — b. c. 78 
"Fear not true Pharisees, but greatly fear painted 
Pharisees" to his wife. 

Alfieri (Vittorio, eminent Italian tragic poet), 
1 749- 1 803. "Clasp my hand, my dear friend, I 
die! " Addressed to the Countess Stolberg, who de- 
rived the title Countess of Albany from being the 
wife of Charles Edward Stuart, "the Pretender. ,, 
After the death of Stuart, the countess lived with 
Alfieri, to whom it is believed she was privately 
married. 

In the church of Santa Croce, Florence, reposes 
the body of Alfieri, and over it is an imposing; monu- 
ment erected by Canova for the Countess of Albany. 
It was while walking amongst the tombs of the illus- 
trious dead in the great " Westminster Abbey of 
Italy " that the poet first dreamed of fame. 

Alford (Henry, commonly called "Dean 
Alford, ,, English poet and divine, Dean of Canter- 
bury), 18 10-187 1. " Will you tell the Archdeacon? 
— will you move a vote of thanks for his kindness in 
performing the ceremony?" He wished the Arch- 
deacon to assist in the services at his funeral. 

He had expressed a wish to be buried in St. Mar- 
tin's churchyard. The spot chosen for his grave is 

9 



Xast MorDs of 

beneath a yew-tree on the brow of the hill on the 
south side of the path which leads from the lich-gate 
to the western door of the ancient church. At the 
distance of about half a mile to the west the towers of 
the Cathedral look down upon his tomb. 

Among his papers was found the following mem- 
orandum, which, of course, was carefully obeyed : 

" When I am gone, and a tomb is to be put up, 
let there be, besides any indication of who is lying 
below, these words, and these only : 

DEVERSORIUM VIATORIS HIEROSOLYMAM PROFICIS- 
CENTIS. 

i. e., the inn of a traveller on his way to Jerusalem." 

Ambrose (" Saint," Latin Father, author of 
many books of varying value and interest, and author 
of a method of singing known as " the Ambrosian 
Chant "), 340-397. " / have not so behaved myself 
that I should be ashamed to live; nor am I afraid to 
die, because I have so good a Master." 

Ames (Fisher, distinguished American statesman, 
leader of the Federal party in the House of Repre- 
sentatives during the administration of Washing- 
ton), 1 758- 1 808. "I have peace of mind. It may 
arise from stupidity, but I think it is founded on a 
belief of the gospel. My hope is in the mercy of 
God." 

10 



2>istxn3utsbefc /!Den an& Women 

Anaxagoras (the most illustrious philosopher of 
the Ionian school, and "The Friend of Pericles"), 
B. c. 500-428. " Give the boys a holiday." 

After his banishment he resided in Lampsacus and 
there preserved tranquillity of mind until his death. 
"It is not I who have lost the Athenians ; it is the 
Athenians who have lost me/' was his proud reflec- 
tion. He continued his studies, and was highly re- 
spected by the citizens, who, wishing to pay some 
mark of esteem to his memory, asked him on his 
death-bed in what manner they could do so. He 
begged that the day of his death might be annually 
kept as a holiday in all the schools of Lampsacus. For 
centuries this request was fulfilled. He died in his 
seventy-third year. A tomb was erected to him in 
the city, with this inscription: 

This tomb great Anaxagoras confines, 
Whose mind explored the heavenly paths of Truth. 
Lewes 3 Biographical History of Philosophy. 

Andre (John, major in the British army at the 
time of the American Revolution, and executed as a 
spy, October 2, 1780), 175 1- 1780. "It will be but 
a momentary pang." 

The order for execution was loudly and impres- 
sively read by Adjutant-General Scammel, who at 
its conclusion informed Andre he might now speak, 
if he had anything to say. Lifting the bandage for 
a moment from his eyes he bowed courteously to 
Greene and the attending officers, and said with 

II 



Xast TKHorfcs of 

firmness and dignity : " All I request of you, gentle- 
men, is that you will bear witness to the world that 
I die like a brave man." A moment later he said, al- 
most in a whisper, " It will be but a momentary 
pang." 

The London General Evening Post for Novem- 
ber 14, 1780, in an article abusive of Washington, 
gives a pretended account of Andre's " last words," 
in which the unfortunate man is made to say, " Re- 
member that I die as becomes a British officer, while 
the manner of my death must reflect disgrace on 
your commander." Andre uttered no sentiment like 
this. Miss Seward, his early friend, on reading this 
account, wrote thus in her " Monody on Major 
Andre:" 

Oh Washington! I thought thee great and good, 
Nor knew thy Nero-thirst for guiltless blood! 
Severe to use the pow'r that Fortune gave, 
Thou cool, determin'd murderer of the brave! 
Lost to each fairer virtue, that inspires 
The genuine fervor of the patriot fires! 
And you, the base abettors of the doom, 
That sunk his blooming honors in the tomb, 
Th' opprobrious tomb your harden' d hearts decreed, 
While all he asked was as the brave to bleed! 

Lossing's Field Book of the Revolution, Vol. 1, p. 768. 

Andronicus I. (Comnenus, usurper and em- 
peror), 1115-1185. "Lord, have mercy upon me. 
Wilt thou break a bruised reed? " 

So great was his cruelty and so oppressive his 
tyranny, that his own subjects rose in desperation 
and slew him. 

12 



Bistinguisbefc /IDen anfc Women 

Anne (of Austria, daughter of Philip III. of 
Spain, and mother of Louis XIV. of France, Queen 
of France), 1 601-1666. "Observe how they are 
swelled; time to depart." These words were spoken 
as she viewed her hands which had been greatly ad- 
mired for their beauty. 

Anselm ("Saint," Archbishop of Canterbury), 
1 034- 1 109. "I shall gladly obey His call; yet I 
should also feel grateful if He would grant me a little 
longer time with you, and if I could be 'permitted to 
solve a question — the origin of the soul." 

Anthony or Antony ("Saint," surnamed 
Abbas, the reputed founder of monachism), 251- 
356. "Let this word of mine be kept by you, so 
that no one shall know in what place my body re- 
poses, for I shall receive it incorruptible from my 
Saviour in the resurrection of the dead. And dis- 
tribute my garments thus: To Athanasius, the 
bishop, give one of my sheepskins, and the cloak 
under me, which was new when he gave it me, 
and has become old by my use of it; and to Serapion, 
the bishop, give the other sheepskin; and do you have 
the hair-cloth garment. And for the rest, children, 
farewell, for Anthony is going, and is with you no 
more." 

Antoninus (Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, 
celebrated for nobleness of character and great wis- 

13 



Xast Mor&s of 

dom. He is sometimes called " The Philosopher "), 
12 1- 1 80. " Think more of death than of me." 

Notwithstanding the mild and upright character 
of the emperor, there took place during his reign a 
severe persecution of the Christians. Efforts have 
been made to excuse him from responsibility in the 
matter, but all such efforts have succeeded only in 
greatly palliating his guilt, which was probably 
much less than that of many other persecutors of the 
early followers of our Lord. 

Aram (Eugene, executed for the murder of Daniel 
Clark. The story of Eugene Aram forms the subject 
of one of Bulwer's novels, and of a poem by Thomas 
Hood ) , 1 704- 1 759. " No" on being asked upon the 
scaffold if he had anything to say. 

While acting as an assistant to his father, who was 
a gardener, he studied mathematics and gave some 
attention to the languages. On marrying, he became 
a schoolmaster, and prosecuted his studies with such 
diligence and success as to obtain a good knowledge 
of the Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Arabic, Welsh 
and Irish languages. In 1759 he was tried for the 
murder of Daniel Clark, a shoemaker of Knaresbor- 
ough, and found guilty. At the trial he made an 
elaborate and able defence, but after his condemna- 
tion he confessed his guilt. On the night before his 
execution he made an attempt to commit suicide, by 
opening the veins of his arms ; but he was discovered 
before he had bled to death, and the sentence of the 
law was carried into effect. — Lippincott. 

14 



SHstinguisbeb flDen anfc Momen 

PAPER CONTAINING ARAM'S REASONS FOR ATTEMPT- 
ING SUICIDE, FOUND ON THE TABLE IN HIS CELL. 

" What am I better than my fathers ? To die is 
natural and necessary. Perfectly sensible of this, I 
fear no more to die than I did to be born. But the 
manner of it is something which should, in my 
opinion, be decent and manly. I think I have re- 
garded both these points. Certainly nobody has a 
better right to dispose of a man's life than himself ; 
and he, not others, should determine how. As for 
any indignities offered to my body, or silly reflec- 
tions on my faith and morals, they are (as they al- 
ways were) things indifferent to me. I think, though 
contrary to the common way of thinking, I wrong 
no man by this, and hope it is not offensive to that 
Eternal Being that formed me and the world; and 
as by this I injure no man, no man can be reasonably 
offended. I solicitously recommend myself to the 
Eternal and Almighty Being, the God of Nature, if 
I have done amiss. But perhaps I have not; and I 
hope this thing will never be imputed to me. Though 
I am now stained by malevolence, and suffer by 
prejudice, I hope to rise fair and unblemished. My 
life was not polluted, my morals irreproachable, and 
my opinions orthodox. 

" I slept soundly till three o'clock, awaked, and 
then writ these lines : 

" Come pleasing rest, eternal slumber fall, 
Seal mine, that once must seal the eyes of all ; 
Calm and compos'd my soul her journey takes, 
No guilt that troubles, and no heart that aches : 

15 



Xast movbs of 

Adieu ! thou sun, all bright like her arise ; 

Adieu! fair friends, and all that's good and wise." 

Archibald (eighth Earl of Argyle), 1 598-1661. 
" / die not only a Protestant, but with a heart-hatred 
of popery , prelacy, and all superstition whatsoever/' 
Spoken upon the scaffold. 

Ariosto (Lodovico, Italian poet), 1479- *533- 
" This is not my home. 3 ' 

Armistead (Lewis Addison, brigadier-general in 
the Confederate army), 1817-1863. "Give them 
the cold steel, boys." 

Armistead put his hand on the cannon, waved his 
sword and called out, " Give them the cold steel, 
boys/' then, pierced by bullets, he fell dead along 
side Cushing. Both lay near the clumps of trees 
about thirty yards inside the wall, their corpses 
marking the farthest point to which Picketts' ad- 
vance penetrated, where the " High Water Mark 
Monument " at Gettysburg, now marks the top of 
the flood tide of the rebellion, for afterwards there 
was a steady ebb. 

Baedeker's Handbook of the United States. 

Arnold (Thomas, of Rugby, English historian 
and teacher. In August, 1841, he was appointed 
regius professor of modern history at Oxford. He 
is the author of five volumes of sermons, " Introduc- 
tory Lectures on Modern History, " and " The His- 
tory of Rome"), 1795-1842- "Ah! Very well," 

16 



2>istinguisbefc flben nnb mometx 

to his physician who told him of the serious nature 
of his complaint, and described to him the remedies 
to be used. 

" The benevolent and accomplished Dr. Arnold 
was taken from us by angina pectoris. He awoke in 
the morning with a sharp pain across his chest, 
which he had felt slightly on the preceding day, be- 
fore and after bathing. He composed himself to 
sleep for a short time; but the pain seemed to in- 
crease, and to pass down the left arm, which called 
to Mrs. Arnold's remembrance what she had heard 
of this fatal disease. Their usual medical attendant, 
Dr. Bucknill, was sent for, and found Dr. Arnold 
lying on his back — his countenance much as usual — 
his pulse, though regular, was very quick, and there 
was cold perspiration on the brow and cheeks. He 
apologized in a cheerful manner for troubling Dr. 
Bucknill at so early an hour, and inquired as to the 
nature and danger of his illness : he was told it was a 
spasm of the heart. The physician quitted the house 
to furnish himself with remedies. On his return, 
Dr. Arnold said, ' If the pain is again as severe as 
it was before you left, I do not know how I can bear 
it/ He again questioned Dr. Bucknill as to the 
danger of his complaint — he was told of his danger 
— inquired as to the remedies, and on being told, 
answered, ' Ah ! very well/ The physician, who was 
dropping the laudanum into a glass, turned around, 
and saw him quite calm, but his eyes were shut. In 
another minute he heard a rattle in his throat, and a 

17 



3Last Moras of 

convulsive struggle, — flew to the bed, and called to 
one of the servants to fetch Mrs. Arnold. The 
family soon arrived; but the sobs and cries of his 
children were unable to affect him — the eyes were 
fixed, the countenance was unmoved, there was a 
heaving of the chest, deep gasps escaped at prolonged 
intervals, and just as the usual medical attendant 
arrived, and as the old school-house servant, in an 
agony of grief, rushed with the others into the room 
in the hope of seeing his master once more, he 
breathed his last." 

Stanley's Life of Arnold. 

Arria (wife of Csecina Psetus, a consul under 
Claudius), died about the year b. c v 42. When her 
husband was condemned to die by his own hand, 
seeing that he hesitated, she seized the dagger, and 
plunged it into her own breast. Then withdrawing 
it, she presented it to her husband, saying with a 
smile: "It is not painful, Pcetus." 

When to her husband Arria gave the steel, 
Which from her chaste, her bleeding breast she drew ; 

She said — " My Psetus, this I do not feel, 
But, oh ! the wound that must be given by you ! " * 

Martial. 

Augustine (" Saint," Latin Father, able con- 
troversialist and eloquent preacher, author of " On 



* Casta suo gladium cum traderet Arria Paeto 
Quern de visceribus traxerat ipsa suis, 

Si qua fides, vulnus, quod feci, non dolet, inquit; 
Sed quod tu facies, hoc mihi, Paete, dolet. 

18 



mstimntebcb ZlDen an& Momen 

the City of God," " Confessions,' ' and many other 
books of value), 354-430. " Oh, Lord, shall I die 
at all? Shall I die at all? Yes! Why, then, oh, 
Lord, if ever, why not now? " 

His mother, Monica, was a woman of the most 
devoted piety. His father was a pagan, and from 
him Augustine inherited a vehement and sensual 
disposition. While a mere youth he gave way to his 
unbridled passions and sensual propensities. His 
mother's patient prayerfulness for both husband and 
son, which was at last crowned with success, has 
passed into a touching type of womanly saintliness 
for all ages. — A. H. Gottschall. 

Augustus (Caius Julius Caesar Octavianus, first 
Emperor of Rome), b. c. 63-14. " Vos plaudite/' 
after asking how he had acted his part in life. These 
reputed last words of Augustus rest upon the au- 
thority of Cicero. 

Suetonius gives his last words thus : " Live 
mindful of our wedlock, Li via, and so farewell. ,, 

Babington (Anthony, English gentleman de- 
voted to the cause of Mary Stuart. Executed for 
having conspired against the life of Queen Eliza- 
beth), — 1586. " The murder of the Queen had been 
represented to me as a deed lawful and meritorious. 
I die a Urm Catholic!* Said on the scaffold. 

Bacon (Francis, Baron Verulam, Viscount St. 
Albans), 1 561- 1626. " Thy creatures, O Lord, have 

19 



%m wotbs of 

been my books, but Thy Holy Scriptures much more. 
I have sought Thee in the -fields and gardens, but I 
have found Thee, O God, in Thy Sanctuary — Thy 
Temple" 

" In March, 1626, he came to London, and one 
day near Highgate was taken with a desire to dis- 
cover whether snow would act as an antiseptic. He 
stopped his carriage, got out at a cottage, purchased 
a fowl, and with his own hands assisted to stuff it 
with snow. He was seized with a sudden chill and 
became so seriously unwell that he had to be con- 
veyed to Lord Arundel's house near by. There his 
illness increased, and he died of bronchitis after a 
few days of suffering." — Encyclopedia Britannica. 

For my burial, I desire it may be in St. Michael's 
Church, St. Albans; there was my mother buried, 
and it is the parish church of my mansion-house of 
Gorhambury, and it is the only Christian Church 
within the walls of Old Verulam. For my name 
and memory, I leave it to men's charitable speeches, 
to foreign nations and the next ages. 

From the Will of Lord Bacon. 

Bailli or Bailliff (Roche de, known by the 
name of La Riviere, a distinguished French physi- 
cian), — 1605. " I must now hasten away since my 
baggage has been sent off before me/' 

When feeling the approaches of death, he sent for 
all his servants, and distributed his money and prop- 
erty among them, on condition that they immediately 

20 



2>iStinoutebe£> rtDen anfc Momen 

left the house, which was so punctually complied 
with, that when the physicians came on their next 
visit, they found the doors open, and their patient 
by himself, with no property left but the bed he lay 
upon. When the physicians remarked this circum- 
stance to him, he answered that he must now go 
likewise, " since his baggage was sent off before 
him," and immediately expired. 

The Book of Death. 

Bailly (Jean Sylvain, French astronomer and 
philosopher, first President of the States-General, 
and later a victim of the Revolution), 1736- 1793. 
" My friend, it is only from cold/ 3 to one of the by- 
standers who, witnessing the refinement of cruelty 
attending his execution, said, " Bailly, you tremble." 

He was led on foot, amidst a drenching fall of 
snow and sleet, to the banks of the river, where, to 
parody the scene on Calvary, the heavy beams which 
support the guillotine were placed on his shoulders. 
He sank under the weight, but barbarous blows 
obliged him again to lift it. He fell a second time, and 
swooned away ; yells of laughter arose in the crowd, 
and the execution was postponed till he revived, and 
could feel its bitterness. But nothing could subdue 
his courage. " You tremble, Bailly," said one of the 
spectators. " My friend," said the old man, " it is 
only from cold." 



1 Charles L, of England, put on two shirts the morning of 
his execution, saying, " If I tremble with cold, my enemies 

21 



%ast Mor&s of 

Barneveldt (Johan van Olden, Dutch states- 
man of liberal principles greatly in advance of his 
age. He has been called " the father of Dutch free- 
dom and religious liberty." He was beheaded at 
the Hague in his seventy-first year, and met his fate 
without regret or a sign of fear), 1 549-1619. " Oh 
God, what then is man! " Some say his last words 
were these, addressed to the executioners : " Be 
quick about it. Be quick." 

Barre, de la (Jean Francois le Fevre, Chevalier. 
He was condemned to death for having mutilated a 
crucifix, and was executed in 1766, at the age of 
nineteen), 1 747-1766. " I did not think they would 
put a young gentleman to death for such a trifle." 1 

Poor young Barre was tortured, strangled and 
burned for not taking off his hat to a file of greasy 
monks. He remained covered while the Capuchins 
carried some mediaeval trumpery in procession. 

Walter Besanfs " French Humorists." 

Battle (William, English physician), 1704-1776. 
" Young man j you have heard, no doubt, how great 
are the terrors of death: this night will probably 
afford you some experience; but you may learn, and 
may you profit by the example, that a conscientious 



will say it was from fear : I will not expose myself to such 
reproaches." — Lingard: "History of England!' 

1 See Voltaire's " Account of the Death of the Chevalier de 
la Barre." 

22 



Httstinguisbefc /IDen art& Momen 

endeavor to perform his duties through life, will 
ever close a 'Christian's eyes with comfort and tran- 
quillity" to his servant. 

Baxter (Richard, noted English nonconformist, 
author of " The Saints' Everlasting Rest," and 
"The Call to the Unconverted"), 1615-1691. "I 
have pain — there is no arguing against sense — but I 
have peace, I have peace! " A little later he said, 
" I am almost well." 

Bayard (Pierre du Terrail, called " le chevalier 
sans peur et sans reproche," the knight without fear 
and without reproach), 1475-1524. "At least, I 
may die facing the enemy." 

At the defeat of Romaguans, Bonnivet, wounded 
and not able to serve any longer, gave the command 
of the army up to Bayard ; who, as usual, performed 
prodigies of valor, until he was wounded by a 
musket shot, which broke the vertebrae of his back. 
He then caused himself to be helped off his horse, 
and to be placed at the foot of a tree. " At least," 
said he, "I may die facing the enemy;" and in a 
few moments he was dead. 

Beard (Dr. George Miller, an American physi- 
cian and scientist of unusual promise, who died upon 
the threshold of a great career), 1839-1883. He 
said to the doctors who endeavored to save his life, 
" You are good fellows, but you can do nothing for 
me. My time has come." His last words were, 

23 



Xast WLotbs of 

" I should like to record the thoughts of a dying man 
for the benefit of science, but it is impossible" 

Dr. Beard had wonderful insight. He exposed 
and ruined the notorious Eddy Brothers, and com- 
prehended, explained, and paralleled the exploits of 
Brown, the Mind Reader, showing the simple prin- 
ciple on which they were produced. His defects 
were too rapid generalization, and too positive and 
comprehensive assertion of results. Knowing well 
the uncertainty of average human testimony where 
the supernatural, or. even the mysterious, is involved, 
he held that experts in the supposed supernatural 
alone were competent witnesses. Of these he thought 
that there were but three or four living, nor did 
he shrink from claiming that he was easily princeps 
among them. Of course, as there were no experts 
on earth when the miracles were wrought, he had 
no evidence of them. He was prone to comprehend 
as much as possible under one generic term. His 
work on Neurasthenia did not command general 
approbation, because it made almost everything a 
sign of nervous exhaustion. As a writer, he was 
brilliant and prolific. His fame would be more en- 
during if he had written five books, instead of fifty. 

Obituary, 

Beaton or Beatoun or Beton (David, Cardinal 
and Archbishop, an implacable enemy of Protes- 
tants. He knew neither rest nor mercy in his de- 
termination to crush the Reformed Faith, and his 

24 



©tetingufsbefc fl&en anfc Women 

execution of George Wishart drew down upon him 
the execration of all good men), 1449-1546. " I am 
a priest! Fie! Fie! All is gone" 

Cardinal Beaton was assassinated in May, 1546, 
in the chamber of his castle, by a band of men 
who sympathized with the Reformers, headed by 
Norman Leslie. 

Beaufort (Henry, half-brother of Henry IV. 
He was made cardinal in 1426, and in 1430 he 
crowned Henry IV. at Notre Dame. He presided 
over the tribunal that sent the Maid of Orleans to 
the stake, and is supposed to have participated in 
the murder of the Duke of Gloucester), 1370-1447. 
"I pray you all pray for me!' Some authorities 
give his last words thus: "And must I then die? 
Will not all my riches save me ? I could purchase a 
kingdom, if that would save my life! What! is 
there no bribing death? When my nephew, the 
Duke of Bedford, died, I thought my happiness and 
my authority greatly increased; but the Duke of 
Gloucester's death raised me in fancy to a level 
with kings, and I thought of nothing but accumu- 
lating still greater wealth, to purchase at last the 
triple crown. Alas ! how are my hopes disappointed ! 
Wherefore, O my friends, let me earnestly beseech 
you to pray for me, and recommend my departing 
soul to God!" 

HarpsHeld: Hist. Eccles. edit. Duaci, 1622, p. 643. 

A few minutes before his death, his mind ap- 

25 



%ast TMorfcs of 

peared to be undergoing the tortures of the damned. 
He held up his two hands, and cried — " Away ! 
away ! — why thus do ye look at me ? " He seemed 
to behold some horrible spectre by his bedside. 1 

Becket (Thomas a, first Saxon archbishop of 
Canterbury after the Norman conquest), 1117-1170. 
"For the name of Jesus and the defense of the 
church I am willing to die" 

He was assassinated by four barons, servants of 
Henry II. The Roman Catholic Church regarded 
him as a martyr; and in 11 72 he was canonized. 

Bede (surnamed "The Venerable;" an English 
monk, and the author of (c Historia Ecclesiastica 



1 Enter the King, Salisbury, Warwick, to the Cardinal in 
bed. 

King. How fares my lord? speak, Beaufort, to thy 
sovereign. 

Car. If thou be'st death, I'll give thee England's treasure, 
Enough to purchase such another island, 
So thou wilt let me live and feel no pain. 

King. Ah, what a sign it is of evil life, 
Where death's approach is seen so terrible! 

War. Beaufort, it is thy sovereign speaks to thee. 

Car. Bring me unto my trial when you will. 
Died he not in his bed? where should he die? 
Can I make men live, whether they will or no? 
O, torture me no more! I will confess. 
Alive again ? Then show me where he is : 
I'll give a thousand pound to look upon him. 
He hath no eyes, the dust hath blinded them. 
Comb down his hair ; look, look ! it stands upright, 
Like lime-twigs set to catch my winged soul. 

26 



SJtetinamsbefc /iDen an& Momen 

Gentis 'Anglorum"), 673-735. "Glory be to the 
Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost" 

It is related that on the night of his death he 
continued dictating to his amanuensis a translation 
of some work, probably of the gospel of St. John, 
into Anglo-Saxon. He asked the scribe how many 
chapters remained. "Only one/' he replied; "but 
you are too weak to dictate." " No," said Bede, 
" take your pen and write quickly." After some 
time the scribe said, "Master, it is finished;" to 
which Bede replied, " Thou hast said truly, con- 
summation est" and shortly after expired. 

Lip pine ott. 

Beecher (Henry Ward, distinguished American 
clergyman, for many years pastor of Plymouth Con- 



Give me some drink; and bid the apothecary- 
Bring the strong poison that I bought of him. 

King. O thou eternal Mover of the heavens, 
Look with a gentle eye upon this wretch! 
O, beat away the busy meddling fiend 
That lays strong siege unto this wretch's soul, 
And from his bosom purge this black despair ! 

War. See how the pangs of death do make him grin! 

Sal. Disturb him not; let him pass peaceably. 

King. Peace to his soul, if God's good pleasure be! 
Lord cardinal, if thou think' st on heaven's bliss, 
Hold up thy hand, make signal of thy hope. 
He dies, and makes no sign. O God, forgive him ! 

War. So bad a death argues a monstrous life. 

King. Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all. 
Close up his eyes and draw the curtain close; 
And let us all to meditation. 

Exeunt. —King Henry VI, Part II, Act Hi. 

27 



OLast OTor&0 of 

gregational Church, Brooklyn, N. Y.) 2 18 13-1887. 
" Now comes the mystery. 3 ' 

Beethoven (Ludwig van) , 1 770-1827. " I shall 
hear in heaven." 

When about thirty-five years old, while at work 
upon his opera of " Leonora," known in English 
as " Fidelio," he was attacked with deafness. The 
malady began gradually, but after a year made more 
rapid progress, and soon his hearing was entirely 
destroyed. 

Some authorities give his last words thus : " Is it 
not true, dear Hammel, that I have some talent after 
all ? " Hammel was an old friend with whom he 
had once quarrelled, and who, after being separated 
from him for a long time, came to him when he was 
upon his death bed. 

Beethoven received the sacraments of the Roman 
church, and at about one in the afternoon of the 
same day he sank into apparent unconsciousness, 
and a distressing conflict with death began which 
lasted the rest of that day, the whole of the next 
day, and until a quarter of six on the evening of 
the day following. As the evening closed in, there 
came a sudden storm of hail and snow, covering the 
ground and roofs of the Schwarzspanierplatz, and 
followed by a flash of lightning, and an instant clap 
of thunder. So great was the crash as to arouse 
even the. dying man. He opened his eyes, clinched 
his fist, and shook it in" the air above him. This 

28 



2>istin0uisbefc flDen ant) Women 

lasted a few seconds while the hail rushed down 
outside, and then the hand fell, and the great com- 
poser was no more. 

Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 

Bellarmino (Cardinal Roberto), 1 542-1 621. 
u It is safest to trust in Jesus" to one who enquired 
whether it is safer to trust in the Virgin Mary 
than in Jesus. 

Bentham (Jeremy, English philosopher and 
jurist, author of " Defence of Usury," " Theory of 
Penalties and Rewards," " The Rationale of Judicial 
Evidence," " Panopticon," and many other works 
of interest and value. He devoted much of his time 
and ability to the development of the theory that 
" Utility is the test and measure of virtue "), 1748- 
1832. "I feel now that I am dying." 

Berenger (de Tours, celebrated French ecclesi- 
astic) , 998-1088. " I shall not long hesitate between 
conscience and the Pope, for I shall soon appear 
in the presence of God, to be acquitted, I hope; to 
be condemned, I fear" 

No more 'twixt conscience staggering and the Pope, 

Soon shall I now before my God appear : 

By him to be acquitted, as I hope; 

By him to be condemned, as I fear." — Coleridge. 

Berenger opposed the dogmas of Transubstantia- 
tion and the Real-Presence. His teachings were 
condemned by Pope Leo IX. in 1050. 

29 



%ast WLotbs ot 

Bergerus (councillor to the Emperor Maximil- 
ian), "Farewell, farewell all earthly things, and 
welcome heaven/' 



Berkeley (George, Bishop of Cloyne, metaphysi- 
cal philosopher and author), 1684-1753. 

The last words of Berkeley are not recorded, but 
the peacefulness and suddenness of his death are 
interesting. One evening he and his family were 
sitting and drinking tea together; he on one side of 
the fire, and his wife on the other, and his daughter 
making the tea at a little round table just behind 
him. She had given him one dish which he had 
drunk. She had poured out another which he left 
standing some time. " Sir," said she, " will you 
not take your tea? " Upon his making no kind of 
an answer, she stooped forward and looked at him, 
and found that he was dead. 

Life of Bishop Berkeley. 

Berkeley directed in his will that his body should 
be kept above ground more than five days, and until 
it became " offensive by the cadaverous smell, and 
that during the said time it lye unwashed, undis- 
turbed and covered by the same bedclothes, in the 
same bed, the head raised upon pillows." 

Bernard (" Saint," Abbot of Clairvaux and act- 
ive promoter of the crusade of 1 146. He is the author 
of many beautiful hymns ),i09i-ii53. " May God's 

30 



Btetin^utebefc flDen an& Women 

will be done" said when he was told that his last 
hour was at hand. 

Berry or Berri (Caroline Ferdinande Louise, 
Madame de), 1798- 1870. "Is not this dying with 
courage and true greatness? " 

Biron (Armand Louis de Gontaut, Due de Lau- 
zun, French general-in-chief of the army of the 
Rhine), 1747-1793. "I have been false to my God, 
to my order, and to my king: I die full of faith and 
of repentance" 

The executioner's messenger surprised him at a 
breakfast of oysters and white wine, and said he was 
at the duke's orders; to which the latter rejoined, 
"No morbleu, 'tis just the other way: I am at 
yours ! " He then asked that he might be permitted 
to finish his breakfast, after which he answered the 
summons of the executioner. 

Bismarck von Schonhausen (Karl Otto, 
Prince, the most distinguished of Prussian states- 
men), 181 3- 1898. "Thank you, my child" to his 
daughter, Countess von Rantzau, who wiped the 
perspiration from his forehead. 

On Thursday evening an improvement set in in 
the Prince's condition, in which repeated changes for 
the worse had occurred since October last, and he 
was able to appear at the table and take part in the 
conversation, drinking champagne and afterward 
smoking several pipes, which he had not done lately. 

31 



Xast Morfcs of 

His condition was so satisfactory that Dr. 
Schweninger, after the Prince had gone to bed, went 
away, with the intention of returning on Satur- 
day. His condition was comparatively satisfac- 
tory throughout Friday and Saturday morning. He 
read the " Nachrichten " and conversed on politics, 
particularly referring to Russian affairs. In the 
forenoon he took luncheon, grumbling jocularly at 
the small proportion of spirits in his drinking water. 
Then a sudden change for the worse occurred, and in 
the afternoon he frequently became unconscious. 

Recently, besides periods of unusual mental clear- 
ness, the Prince had had intervals of drowsiness, 
falling into long, sound and beneficial sleep, on 
awaking from which he would be completely re- 
freshed. 

On Saturday evening grave symptoms appeared. 
Death came easily and painlessly. Dr. Schweninger 
was able to some extent to lighten the last moments, 
wiping the patient's mouth and enabling him to 
breathe more freely. 

The last words Prince Bismarck uttered were 
addressed to his daughter, Countess von Rantzau, 
who wiped the perspiration from his forehead. They 
were, " Thank you, my child." 

The whole family were assembled at the bedside 
at the time of his death, and Dr. Schweninger, Dr. 
Chrysander and Baron and Baroness Merck were 
also present. As no breathing, movement or pulse 
was perceptible for three minutes, Dr. Schweninger 

32 



Bistingutebefc flDen anfc Momen 

declared quietly and simply that the Prince was 
dead. 

Dr. Schweninger telegraphed the news to Emperor 
William, in Norway. 

The Prince lies as he used to sleep, with his 
head slightly inclined to the left. The expression 
on his face is mild and peaceful. It is remarked 
that his head remained warm for an unusually long 
time. 

In accordance with Prince Bismarck's wish, he 
will be buried upon the hill opposite the castle in 
the vicinity of Hirschgruppe. 

Nachrichten, July 31^^ 1898. 

Blake (William, English artist and poet), 1757- 
1828. Blake died singing. 

" On the day of his death," writes Smith, who had 
his account from the widow, " he composed and 
uttered songs to his Maker, so sweetly to the ear 
of his Catherine, that when she stood to hear him, 
he, looking upon her most affectionately, said, ' My 
beloved ! they are not mine. No ! they are not mine ! ' 
He told her they would not be parted; he should 
always be about her to take care of her. A little 
before his death, Mrs. Blake asked where he would 
be buried, and whether a dissenting minister or a 
clergyman of the Church of England should read 
the service. To which he answered, that as far as 
his own feelings were concerned, she might bury 
him where she pleased. But that as father, mother, 

33 



Xast motbs of 

aunt and brother were buried in Bunhill Row, per- 
haps it would be better to lie there. As for service, 
he should wish for that of the Church of England. 

" In that plain, back room, so dear to the memory 
of his friends, and to them beautiful from associa- 
tion with him — with his serene cheerful converse, 
his high personal influence, so spiritual and rare — 
he lay chanting Songs to Melodies, both the inspira- 
tion of the moment, but no longer as of old to be 
noted down. To the pious songs followed, about 
six in the summer evening, a calm and painless 
withdrawal of breath ; the exact moment almost un- 
perceived by his wife, who sat by his side. A 
humble female neighbor, her only other companion, 
said afterwards : ' I have been at the death, not of 
a man, but of a blessed angel.' " 

Gilchrist's Life of William Blake. 

" He said he was going to that country he had all 
his life wished to see, and expressed himself happy, 
hoping for salvation through Jesus Christ. Just 
before he died his countenance became fair, his eyes 
brightened, and he burst out into singing of the 
things he saw in heaven. In truth he died like a 
saint, as a person who was standing by him ob- 
served." 1 

From a letter written at the time of Blake's death. 



1 Lablache (1794-1858), the celebrated French singer and 
actor, whose wonderful voice, embracing two full octaves, 
has been described as firmer and more expressive than that 
of any singer of his time or before it, attempted to sing 

34 



2>tetinguisbe£> ZlDen an& Women 

Blood (Thomas, an Irish adventurer who served 
in Cromwell's army. He seized the Duke of Or- 
mond in his coach in London, and would have 
hanged him but for the resistance of his servants. 
In 1 67 1 he came very near possessing himself of 



upon his death-bed. He bade his son go to the piano and 
accompany him. The young man, struggling with emotion, 
obeyed. Lablache sang in English the first stanza of Home, 
Sweet Home. At the second stanza the muscles of the throat 
refused to move; not a note could he sound. In distress 
and great amazement he gazed around him for a moment, 
and then, closing his eyes, fell asleep in death. 

It is recorded of Captain Hamilton, whose portrait was 
painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds, that he came to his death 
in this wise : " He imprudently ventured in a boat from his 
ship to land at Plymouth, on a tempestuous day, all in his 
impatience to rejoin his wife ashore. The boat turned keel 
upwards, and the captain, being a good swimmer, trusted 
to his skill, and would not accept of a place on the keel, 
but, that he might leave room there for others, clung merely 
to the edge of the boat. His great coat was a hindrance 
to him, and this he attempted to throw off; but, in the 
words of Lord Eliot, whose too are the italics, " finding his 
strength fail, he told the men he must yield to his fate, and 
soon afterwards sank while singing a psalm." — Francis Jacox. 

When Latour was guillotined at Foix, in 1864, for the 
murder of a family of four persons, great was the throng 
in the streets, despite the heavy rain that fell; for, to ensure 
a good attendance, the condemned man had announced his 
intention to compose for the occasion a series of verses, 
which he would sing on his way (in a cart, vis-a-vis with 
messieurs the headsmen) from prison to scaffold. And sing 
them he did, all the way — a matter of some three hundred 
and fifty yards. Lightly he tripped up the steps of the 
scaffold, and then, after a deliberate survey of the crowd 
below and all around 4 he thundered forth, tonna, the follow- 

35 



Xast Morfcs of 

the crown jewels), 1628- 1680. "I do not fear 
death." 

Blood, that wears treason in his face, 
Villain complete in parson's gown, 

How much is he at court in grace, 
For stealing Ormond and the crown! 

Since loyalty does no man good, 

Let's steal the king and outdo Blood. 

Lord Rochester. 

Blum (Robert, German democrat and politician, 
founder of the Schiller Association and of the Ger- 
man Catholic Church at Leipsic, popular leader of 
the Liberal party in the Revolution of 1848. On 
the capture of the city of Windischgratz he was 
arrested, tried by court-martial, convicted of having 
instigated the uprising, and shot), 1807- 1848. "I 
am ready — let there be no mistake and no delay" 
to the soldiers who were charged with the duty of 
shooting him. 



ing lines — a parody, or rather a personal appropriation, of 
the Marseillaise: 

" Allons, pauvre victime, 
Ton jour de mort est arrive: 
Contre toi de la tyrannie 
Le couteau sanglant est leve ! " 

Being then tied to the plank and flung into the usual 
horizontal position in order to be brought under the blade, 
he still went on — Allons, pauvre victime, Ton jour de mort 
. . . — until a heavy sound was heard, the blade fell, some- 
thing else fell with it, and all was over. — Jacox. 

36 



Bisttnguisbefc flDen anD Momen 

He entreated as a last favor, that he might be 
permitted to write to his wife, which was agreed 
to, and the letter concluded with these words : " Let 
not my fate discourage you; but bring up our chil- 
dren so that they may not bring disgrace on my 
name." " Now I am ready," said he, addressing 
the officers of justice, when the letter was done. 
Arrived at the place of execution, he said to one 
of the cuirassiers of his escort, " Here, then, we are 
come to the last stage of my journey." He desired 
not to have his eyes bandaged; and this being re- 
fused, lest his unsteadiness should cause the men to 
miss their aim, he blindfolded himself, and knelt 
down with manly courage. He fell pierced by three 
balls, and died instantly. — B alley dier, ii. 366, 367. 

Boehm or Bohme (Jacob, German mystic who 
believed himself divinely illuminated and gifted with 
an understanding of the secrets of nature and grace. 
Some of his writings are so obscure and visionary 
as to be well nigh incomprehensible, yet he numbered 
among his admirers many learned and distinguished 
persons who sat at the feet of the " phylosophical 
shoemaker of Gorlitz," and adopted his most re- 
markable opinions), 1575-1624. "Do you hear the 
music? Now I go hence" 

Boerhaave (Herman, Dutch physician and phil- 
osopher), 1668-1738. "He that loves God ought 
to think nothing desirable but what is pleasing to the 
Supreme Goodness." 

37 



SLast WLovbs of 

The reputation of Boerhaave as a physician and 
a man of learning is perhaps without a parallel in 
history. His fame extended not only to every part 
of Christendom, but to the farthest bounds of Asia. 
A Chinese mandarin addressed a letter to him with 
this superscription, " To Boerhaave, Physician in 
Europe," and the missive was duly received. . . . 
His intense application to study, and the exposure 
incident to his professional duties, had brought upon 
him (in 1732) a severe illness, which confined him 
to his bed for several months. When he recovered, 
the inhabitants of Ley den celebrated the joyful 
event by a public illumination. — Lip pine ott. 

Boileau (Boileau-Despreaux, Nicolas, eminent 
French poet and satirist ) , 1 636- 1 7 1 1 . " It is a great 
consolation for a dying poet to have never written 
a word against morality" 

Boleyn or Bullen (Anne, wife of Henry VIII), 
1 507-1 536. Just before she knelt to lay her head 
on the block she clasped her neck with her hands, 
and said : " It is small, very small indeed." 

Bolingbroke (Henry St. John, Viscount, Eng- 
lish author, orator, and politician), 1 678-1 751. At 
last, though the precise words are not preserved, he 
gave directions that no clergyman should visit him, 
and avowed his adherence to the deistical principles 
to which he had held through his life. 

His last words to Lord Chesterfield were : " God, 

38 



2>tetingutebefc /!Den anfc XPdlomen 

who placed me here, will do what he pleases with 
me hereafter, and he knows best what to do. May 
he bless you." 1 

The dreadful malady under which Bolingbroke 
lingered, and at length sank — a cancer in the face 
— he bore with exemplary fortitude, a fortitude 
drawn from the natural resources of his mind, and 
unhappily not aided by the consolation of any re- 
ligion ; for, having early cast off the belief in revela- 
tion, he had substituted, in its stead, a dark and 
gloomy naturalism, which even rejected those glim- 
merings of hope as to futurity not untasted by the 
wiser of the heathens. — Lord Brougham. 

Booth (John Wilkes, American actor, the as- 
sassin of President Lincoln), — 1865. " Useless! use- 
less! " Said to the officer who demanded that he 
should surrender. 

There has been some strange discussion of a 
mysterious paper said to have been delivered to Mr. 
John F. Coyle, editor of " The National Intelli- 
gencer " and purporting to be a statement to the 



1 It is too early for the last words of John Burroughs 
(may it be yet many years before they are spoken), but we 
are struck with the wonderful accord between the last words 
of Bolingbroke and the closing paragraph to the preface with 
which Burroughs introduces his, " The Light of Day : " "I 
am content to let the unseen powers go their own way with 
me and mine without question or distrust. They brought 
me here, and I have found it well to be here; in due time 
they will take me hence, and I have no doubt that will be 
well for me too." 

39 



Xast TOorfcs of 

public from John Wilkes Booth. An eye-witness re- 
lates that on the night of the assassination of Presi- 
dent Lincoln, a private dinner-party was in progress 
in a back room at Wormley's restaurant, in Wash- 
ington, at which were present General Baird, Robert 
Johnson, the Hon. Samuel J. Randall, John Mor- 
rissey, John F. Coyle, editor of " The National In- 
telligencer/ ' and one other gentleman. During the 
progress of the dinner a waiter, who had been out 
on the street, returned and stated that the President 
had been shot at Ford's Theatre. The news created 
great consternation in the party, who at first thought 
the waiter was drunk or crazy. Later, when they 
were assured that it was a fact, and that John Wilkes 
Booth w r as accused of the crime, John F. Coyle, 
with blanched features and trembling lips, said: 
" My God, gentlemen ! This very day I met John 
Wilkes Booth on the market-space. He was on a 
bay mare, and rode up to me and handed me a 
sealed envelope, saying, as he did so, ' If you hear 
of me within twenty- four hours, publish this ; if you 
do not hear of me within that time, destroy this/ 
and he rode away. Here is the package," continued 
Mr. Coyle, producing a letter envelope from his 
pocket; " what shall I do with it? " " Destroy it at 
once," said Mr. Randall. " They will hang any- 
body who knows anything about the assassination, 
no matter how innocently he may have come by the 
knowledge ; don't open it — burn it up just as it is ! " 
" Yes," said Mr. Morrissey, " burn it up, for God's 

40 



Distinautebefc men ant) TRUomen 

sake, at once." The doors were carefully locked. A 
fire was made in the grate, and the mysterious en- 
velope and its contents were carefully burned. Even 
the ashes were collected and placed in a dish ; water 
was poured upon them, and the two were mixed 
into a paste, which was afterward put into the fire 
and burned again. 

Borgia (Cesare), killed at the siege of the Castle 
of Biano in 1507. "I die unprepared." 

Cesare Borgia was one of the most crafty, cruel, 
and corrupt men of that corrupt age. No crime 
was too foul for him to perpetrate or be suspected 
of. He was charged with the murder of his elder 
brother, Giovanni, duke of Gandia, and of Alfonso, 
the husband of Lucrezia; with plotting with his 
father the murder of Cardinal Corneto; and with 
incest with his sister. In his wars he had garrisons 
massacred, and carried off bands of women to 
gratify his lust." — Cate. 

Bossuet (Jacques Benigne, French divine and 
pulpit orator), 1 627-1704. " I suffer the violence of 
pain and death, but I know whom I have believed/' 

Bourg du (Anne, French magistrate. He was 
falsely accused of the assassination of Minard, and 
was executed in 1559), 1 521- 15 59. "Six feet of 
earth for my body, and the infinite heavens for my 
soul, is what I shall soon have." 

4i 



Xast TOorfcs of 

Boyle (Robert, chemist and experimental philoso- 
pher), 1 626- 1 69 1. " We shall there desire nothing 
that we have not, except more tongues to sing more 
praise to Him/' 

Boyle learned the Hebrew and Greek languages 
to qualify himself to write in defence of revealed 
religion; and printed at his own expense a transla- 
tion of the gospels into the Malay language. He 
refused a peerage, which was offered to him re- 
peatedly. It has been remarked that he was born 
in the year of Bacon's death, as the person destined 
by nature to succeed him ; and he may be accounted 
the most zealous and successful disciple of Bacon 
in inductive philosophy. His merits were com- 
memorated by Boerhaave in terms like these : " Mr. 
Boyle, the ornament of his age and country, suc- 
ceeded to the genius and talents of Lord Verulam. 
We owe to him the secrets of fire, air, water, ani- 
mals, plants and fossils." He was distinguished for 
his liberality and active benevolence. — Lip pine ott. 

Bozzaris (Marcos, a Greek patriot, celebrated by 
Fitz-Greene Halleck in a thrilling poem), 1790- 
1823. " O, to die for Liberty is a pleasure and not 
a pain" 

Bradford (Alden, Secretary of the State of 
Massachusetts from 1812 to 1824, and author of a 
history of Massachusetts and other works), 1765- 
1843. "Peace!" 

42 



Bistingufsbefc flben anfc Women 

Bradford (Andrew, publisher of the " American 
Weekly Mercury/' the first newspaper that appeared 
in Philadelphia. He was the only printer in Pennsyl- 
vania from 1712 to 1723), 1686-1742. " O Lord, 
forgive the errata! " 

Bradford's last words rest upon the doubtful au- 
thority of an old letter signed by George E. Clark- 
son. 

Bradford (John, a martyr of the Reformation), 
— 1555. " Be of good comfort, brother, for we shall 
have a merry supper with the Lord this night: if 
there be any way to heaven on horseback or in fiery 
chariots, this is it." These words were addressed 
to a fellow martyr. 

Brainerd (David, Missionary to the Indians), 
1 71 8- 1 747. "Lord, now let thy servant depart in 
peace" 

Some say his last words were : " I am almost in 
eternity. I long to be there. My work is done. 
The watcher is with me; why tarry the wheels of 
his chariot? " 

Bremer (Fredrika, the most celebrated of Swed- 
ish novelists, called the " Miss Austen of Sweden "), 
1 802- 1 865. " Ah! my child, let us speak of Christ's 
love — the best, the highest love!" 

Brocklesby (Richard, distinguished English 
physician), 1722- 1797. "What an idle piece of 
ceremony this buttoning and unbuttoning is to me, 

43 



Xast TKHorfcs of 

now" to his servants who had undressed him and 
prepared him for bed. 

Bronte (Rev. Patrick, father of Charlotte and 
Emily), 1 774-1861. " While there is life there is 
will." He died standing. 1 

Bronte (Emily), 18 18-1848. " No, not " to her 
sister who begged her to allow them to put her to 
bed. She died sitting upon the sofa. 

Brooks (Phillips, Bishop of Massachusetts), 
1 83 5- 1 893. His last written words were, " There is 
no other life but the eternal." 



1 Some have thought it an evidence of strength of will 
to die standing; and some have even wished to be buried 
in that posture. In Oliver Heywood's Register is the follow- 
ing entry : — " Oct. 28, 1684. Captain Taylor's wife, of Brig- 
house, buried in her garden, with head upwards, standing 
upright, by her husband, daughter, and other Quakers." 

Mrs. George S. Norton, of Pawling, N. Y., was buried at 
her own request sitting upright in a rocking chair enclosed 
in a box made of seasoned chestnut. The funeral services 
were held July 27, 1899. — Albany Argus. 

M. Halloin of the neighborhood of Caen, in Normandy, 
who died in the early part of this century, when he felt 
his end approach inserted in his last will a clause expressing 
his desire to be buried at night, in his bed, comfortably 
tucked in, with pillows and coverlets as he had died. As 
no opposition was raised against the execution of this clause, 
a huge pit was sunk, and the corpse was lowered into its 
last resting place, without any alteration having been made 
in the position in which death had overtaken him. Boards 
were laid over the bed, that the falling earth might not 
disturb this imperturbable quietist. — S. Baring-Gould: "Curi- 
osities of Olden Times." 

44 



J 



E>isttn3uisbefc> fl&en an<> Momen 

Brown (John, Scottish linguist and preacher), 
1 720- 1 787. " My Christ^ 

Brown (John, hanged December 2, 1859, for his 
part in the famous Harper's Ferry insurrection), 
1800-1859. "I am ready at any time — do not keep 
me waiting" said to the sheriff who asked him if he 
should give him a private signal before the fatal 
moment. 

His last request was not complied with. The 
troops that had formed his escort had to be put in 
their proper position, and while this was going on 
he stood for some ten or fifteen minutes blindfolded ; 
the rope round his neck and his feet on the treacher- 
ous platform, expecting instantly the fatal act; but 
he stood for this comparatively long time upright as 
a soldier in position and motionless. — J. T. L. Pres- 
ton (an eye-witness of 'John Brown's death) in the 
Bivouac for August, 1886. 

Browning (Elizabeth Barrett, English poet), 
1805-1861. "It is beautiful" 

Bruce (Robert, distinguished divine of the Scot- 
tish Church), about 15 54-1 631. "Now God be 
with you, my dear children; I have breakfasted 
with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ." 

Robert Bruce, the morning before he died, being 
at breakfast, and having, as he used, eaten an egg, 
said to his daughter: "I think I am yet hungry; 

45 



SLast TKHorfcs of 

you may bring me another egg." But, having mused 
awhile, he said: " Hold, daughter, hold; my Master 
calls me." With these words his sight failed him, 
on which he called for the Bible, and said : " Turn 
to the eighth chapter of Romans and set my finger 
on the words, * I am persuaded that neither death, 
nor life/ etc., ' shall be able to separate me from the 
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.' " 
When this was done, he said : " Now, is my finger 
upon them? " Being told it was, he added : " Now, 
God be with you, my dear children; I have break- 
fasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus 
Christ this night." And then he expired. 

Bruno (Giordano, philosopher of an independent 
and speculative mind. He was burned at Rome 
in 1600 by the Inquisition on the charges of heresy 
and apostasy), i550-i6oo T "I die a martyr and 
willingly — my soul shall mount up to heaven in 
this chariot of smoke." 1 



1 There is a story which comes to us from Scioppius, that 
Bruno rejected " with a terrible menacing countenance " 
a crucifix which was held up to him, and which may have 
been heated red hot, as was customary, in order to con- 
vince the spectators of the sufferer's impiety, and prevent 
them from feeling pity for him in his distress. The story 
has no very good foundation, but we know that heated 
crucifixes were not uncommon among the ghostly persecutors 
of earlier and darker days; and we can easily see how a 
man asked to kiss such a crucifix might exhibit "a terrible 
menacing countenance." 

46 



Dtstingufsbefc) flDen anfc Momen 

Brutus (Decimus Junius, one of the murderers 
of Caesar),— b. c. 33. Dion Cassius (Lib. xlvii) 
represents Brutus as quoting, just before his death, 
the following passage from Euripides, " wretched 
virtue! thou art a bare name! I mistook thee for 
a substance; but thou thyself art the slave of for- 
tune" 



Bryant (William Cullen, American poet and 
journalist), 1794- 1878. " Whose house is this? 
What street are we in? Why did you bring me 
here? " 

His death was caused by a blow on the head 
received in falling upon the stone steps in front of 
Mr. James Grant Wilson's house in New York City. 
He was carried into Mr. Wilson's house, where he 
soon recovered sufficiently to be removed to his 
own home. But his thoughts were clouded, and 
he did not know where he was. 

Buchanan (George, Scottish historian, scholar, 
and Latin poet), 1506- 1582. "It matters little to 
me; for if I am but once dead they may bury me or 
not bury me as they please. They may leave my 
corpse to rot where I die if they wish." To his 
servant, whom he had directed to distribute his 
property among the poor, and who thereupon asked 
him, " Who will defray the expenses of your 
burial?" 

47 



Xast Worte of 

Buchanan (James, fifteenth President of the 
United States), 1791-1868. " Lord Almighty, 
as thou wilt! " 

Buckle (Henry Thomas, author of "The His- 
tory of Civilization"), 1822- 1862. "Poor little 
boys! " 

Bull (George, Bishop of Saint David's, author 
of " The Defence of the Nicene Faith "), 1634-17 10. 
" Amen" 

Bunyan (John, author of Pilgrim's Prog- 
ress"), 1 628- 1 688. "Weep not for me, but for 
yourselves. I go to the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who no doubt will receive me, though a sin- 
ner, through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 
where I hope we shall ere long meet to sing the new 
song and remain happy forever — forever, world 
without end. Amen! " 

Buonarotti (Michael Angelo), 1474- 1564. 
"My soul I resign to God, my body to the earth t 
and my worldly possessions to my relations; admon- 
ishing them that through their lives and in the hour 
of death they think upon the sufferings of Jesus 
Christ. And I do desire that my body be taken to 
the city of Florence for its last rest." — Vasari xii: 
269. 

It was now necessary to convey the mortal re- 
mains to Florence. Opposition was feared from the 

48 



Bistinsuisbefc rtDen anfc MOmen 

Romans. It was asserted that it was not Michael 
Angelo's last wish to be buried in his native city. 
His friends went secretly to work. The coffin was 
conveyed as merchandise out of the gates. 

On the eleventh of March it arrived at Florence. 
After thirty years of voluntary exile, Michael Angelo 
returned, when dead, to his native city. Only a 
few knew that it was he who entered the gate in 
that covered coffin. 



In the sacristy the coffin was opened for the first 
time. The people had forced their way into the 
church. There he lay; and, in spite of three weeks 
having elapsed since his death, he seemed unchanged, 
and bore no symptom of decay; the features undis- 
figured, as if he had just died. 

Grimm: "Life of Michael Angelo" 

About the year 1720 the vault in Santa Croce was 
opened, and the remains of Michael Angelo were 
found not to have lost their original form. He was 
habited in the costume of the ancient citizens of 
Florence, in a gown of green velvet, and slippers of 
the same. — Bottari. 

Burke or Bourke (Edmund, orator, and states- 
man), 1 730- 1 797. " God Hess you" 

Burn (Andrew, major-general in the Royal 
Marines), 1742-1814. "Nobody, nobody but Jesus 

49 



Xast TKHorfcs of 

'Christ. Christ crucified is the stay of my poor soul" 
to one who asked him if he wished to see any one. 

Burns (Robert, the great peasant poet of Scot- 
land), 1759-1796. " Oh, don't let the awkward 
squad fire over me!" He alluded to a body of 
Dumfries militia, of which he was a member, and 
of which he entertained a very poor opinion. 1 

Burr (Aaron, third Vice-President of the United 
States. In 1804 he fought his famous duel with 
Hamilton), 1756-1836. "Madame." 

Burton (Sir Richard R), 1821-1890. " Oh 
Puss, chloroform — ether — or I am a dead man" said 
to his wife who feared to administer an anaesthetic 
without the direction of a physician. Dr. Barker 



1 In the Appendix of Allan Cunningham's " Life of Burns " 
we read of an examination of the poet's Tomb, made imme- 
diately after that life was published: 

" When Burns's Mausoleum was opened in March, 1834, 
to receive the remains of his widow, some residents in Dum- 
fries obtained the consent of her nearest relative to take a 
cast from the cranium of the poet. This was done during 
the night between the 31st of March and 1st of April. Mr. 
Archibald Blacklock, surgeon, drew up the following descrip- 
tion: 

" The cranial bones were perfect in every respect, if we 
except a little erosion of their external table, and firmly 
held together by their sutures, &c, &c. Having completed 
our intention [i. e., of taking a plaster cast of the skull, 
washed from every particle of sand, &c], the skull securely 
closed in a leaden case, was again committed to the earth, 
precisely where we faund it." 

50 



2>tetinguisbe& flDen an& Women 

in a letter to Lady Stisled says that a moment later 
" suddenly the breathing became labored, there 
were a few moments of awful struggle for air, then, 
conscious to the last, he exclaimed, * I am a dead 
man/ fell back on his pillow and expired." 

Butler (Benjamin Franklin, attorney-general of 
the United States, from 1831 to 1834), 1795-1858. 
" I have peace, perfect peace. ' Thou wilt keep him 
in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee! " 

Butler (Joseph, English Bishop, and author 
of the celebrated "Analogy of Religion"), 1692- 
1752. " / have often read and thought of that scrip- 
ture, but never till this moment did I feel its full 
power, and now I die happy/' These words were 
spoken to his chaplain who read him John vi., and 
called attention to the 37th verse: "All that the 
Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that 
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." 

Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord, one of the 
greatest of English poets), 1788- 1824. "I must 
sleep now" 

It has been asserted, upon what authority the 
compiler does not know, that the last words of 
Byron were, "Shall I sue for mercy?" After a 
long pause he added, it is said, " Come, come, no 
weakness : let me be a man to the last." 

51 



Xast Morfcs of 

Caesar (Caius Julius), b. c. 100-44. " Et tu 
Brute!" to Marcus Brutus, on discovering him 
among the assassins. 

Authorities differ : some have it, " What ! art thou, 
too, one of them ! Thou, my son ! " and others omit 
the words " my son." If, however, the last two 
words are to be retained, they express only the dif- 
ference of age between Caesar and Brutus. There is 
no good reason for regarding them as an avowal 
that Brutus was the fruit of the connection between 
Julius and Servilia. 

He died in the fifty-sixth year of his age, and was 
ranked amongst the gods, not only by a formal 
decree, but in the belief of the vulgar. For during 
the first games which Augustus, his heir, conse- 
crated to his memory, a comet blazed for seven days 
together, rising always about eleven o'clock; and 
it was supposed to be the soul of Caesar, now received 
into heaven ; for which reason, likewise, he is repre- 
sented in his statue with a star on his brow. The 
senate-house in which he was slain was ordered to 
be shut up, and a decree was made that the ides of 
March should be called parricidal, and that the sen- 
ate should never more assemble on that day. 

/. Eugene Reed: " The Twelve Casars" 

Calderon (Don Rodrigo, adventurer, who under 
the title of Marques de Siete Iglesias, rose to the 
first place in Spanish influence and power, in the 
time of Philip III.), — 1621. "All my life I have 

52 



£>istingutebefc /SDen ant) Momen 

carried myself gracefully/' to his confessor who re- 
proved him for his ill-timed regard for appearances 
when about to die upon the scaffold. 

Cadogan (William Bromley, English clergy- 
man), 1751-1797. " I thank you for all your faith- 
ful services; God bless you/' to a servant who had 
been with him many years. 

Calhoun (John Caldwell, Vice-President of the 
United States, called the " Father of State-rights "), 
1782-1850. " The South! The South! God knows 
what will become of her! " 

" He died under the firm impression that the 
South was betrayed and gone." 
An unpublished letter from Senator Hunter of Vir- 
ginia. 

Calhoun (Simeon Howard, missionary in the 
Holy Land for nearly forty years. He was a thor- 
ough scholar in Arabic and Turkish languages, and 
assisted Dr. Goodell in making the first translation 
of the Bible into Turkish), 1804-1876. " Were the 
church of Christ what she should be, twenty years 
would not pass away without the story of the cross 
being uttered in the ear of every living person/' 

Calvin (John, one of the greatest of the Protes- 
tant Reformers, and " The Father of Presbyterian- 
ism"), 1509-1564. C( Thou, Lord, bruisest me; but 
I am abundantly satisfied, since it is from thy hand/' 

S3 



2Last TKHorfcs of 

On the day of his death, he appeared stronger, 
and spoke with less difficulty; but this was the last 
effort of nature, for about eight o'clock in the eve- 
ning, certain symptoms of dissolution manifested 
themselves. When one of his domestics brought one 
of the brethren, and me, who had only just left him, 
this intelligence, I returned immediately with all 
speed, and found he had died in so very tranquil a 
manner, that without his feet and hands being in 
any respect discomposed, or his breathing increased, 
his senses, judgment and in some measure his voice, 
remaining entire to his very last gasp, he appeared 
more to resemble one in a state of sleep than death. 
. . . At two o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday, 
his body was carried to the common burying-place, 
called Plein Palais, without extraordinary pomp. 
His funeral, however, was attended by the members 
of the senate, the pastors, all the professors of the 
college, and a great portion of the citizens. The 
abundance of tears shed on this occasion afforded 
the strongest evidence of the sense which they en- 
tertained of their loss. According to his own direc- 
tions, no hillock, no monument was erected to his 
memory. — Theodore Beza: "Life of John Calvin." 

Campbell (Thomas, English poet), 1777- 1844. 
"No; it was one Tom Campbell/' Campbell's 
friends were doubtful whether he was conscious or 
not of what was going on in his presence, and had 
recourse to an artifice to learn. One of them spoke 

54 



. 



©isttnauisbeo /iDen ano Women 

of the poem " Hohenlinden," and pretending to for- 
get the author's name, said he had heard it was by 
Mr. Robinson. Campbell saw the trick, was amused, 
and said playfully, but in a calm and distinct tone, 
"No; it was one Tom Campbell." 

Some time before he uttered his last words he 
said : — 

" When I think of the existence which shall com- 
mence when the stone is laid over my head, how 
can literary fame appear to me, to any one, but as 
nothing? I believe, when I am gone, justice will 
be done to me in this way — that I was a pure writer. 
It is an inexpressible comfort, at my time of life, 
to be able to look back and feel that I have not writ- 
ten one line against religion or virtue. 

Cano (Alonzo, the " Michael Angelo of Spain "), 
1 601-1667. " Vex me not with this thing, but give 
me a simple cross, that I may adore it, both as it is 
in itself and as I can figure it in my mind," to a 
priest who gave him an elaborate but badly carved 
cross. He had previously refused the sacrament 
from the hand of a priest who had administered it 
to converted Jews. 

Carlyle (Thomas, essayist, translator, and his- 
torian), 1 795- 1 88 1. His mind was wandering when 
Froude went to his bedside, but he recognized him 
and said : " I am very ill. Is it not strange that these 
people should have chosen the very oldest man in 
all Britain to make suffer in this way?" Froude 

55 



%ast WHorbs of 

answered, " We do not know exactly why those 
people act as they do. They may have reasons we 
cannot guess at. " Yes/' said Carlyle, " it would 
be rash to say that they have no reasons." When 
Froude saw him next, his speech was gone. * 

Carnot (Marie Frangois Sadi-Carnot, President 
of the French Republic, assassinated by Cesare Gio- 



1 On February 5th, 1881, in the tranquil exhaustion of a 
ripe old age, this true Sage of modern times passed away 
at his home in Cheyne Row, Chelsea, where he had lived 
for fifty years; and, — as the Times remarked, — the world 
seemed duller, colder, and darker, in that this one grey old 
man had left it. 

No time was lost in collecting funds to provide for a public 
monument of the philosopher. The work was entrusted to 
Mr. J. E. Boehm, R.A., with the result of a most admirable 
statue in bronze, life-size, representing Carlyle as he was in 
his latter days, in an attitude of thought, seated in an arm- 
chair, and wearing his well-known dressing-gown. " For 
this noble piece of portraiture," Mr. Ruskin wrote of it, " I 
cannot trust myself to express my personal gratitude, or to 
speak at all of the high and harmonious measure in which 
it seems to me to express the mind and features of my dear 
master." It is appropriately placed in the little public garden, 
at the end of Great Cheyne Row, Chelsea, where Carlyle had 
spent the last forty years of his life. There, on October 
26th, 1882, in presence of many of those who were his at- 
tached friends in life, it was unveiled by Professor Tyndall, 
who delivered an eloquent address on the occasion. Among 
those who assisted were Lord Houghton, Mrs. Oliphant, Miss 
Swanwick, Moncure D. Conway, Robert Browning, Dr. Mar- 
tineau, Mr. W. E. H. Lecky, and others. A simple inscription 
on the massive pedestal, of Aberdeen granite, records the 
dates of the birth and death of the remarkable man in whose 
honour it is erected. — William Bates. 

56 



2>tetin0utebefc flDen an& Momen 

vanni Santo in Lyons, June 24, 1894), 1837-1894. 
"I am grateful for your presence/' These words 
were in response to those of Dr. Poncet who leaned 
over the bed on which the President was lying, and 
said, "Your friends are here, Monsieur le Presi- 
dent." 

Cary (Alice, American poetess and magazine 
writer), 1 820-1 871. " I want to go away." 

Cavour (Camillo Benso, Count de, Italian states- 
man), 1 8 10- 1 86 1. "No, your Majesty, to-morrow 
you will not see me here," to Victor Emmanuel, who, 
as he turned away in tears, said to Cavour, " I shall 
come to see you again to-morrow." 

He secured liberty of the press, and favored re- 
ligious toleration and free trade. Among the im- 
portant measures of his administration were his 
rebellion against papal domination, and his alliance 
with France and England in the war against Russia 
in 1855. After the close of the war he devoted his 
efforts to the liberation and unity of Italy, undis- 
mayed by the angry fulminations of the Vatican. 

Lippincott. 

Cazotte (Jacques, French poet and royalist, exe- 
cuted by the revolutionists September 25th, 1792), 
1 720- 1 792. "My dear wife, my dear children, do 
not weep: do not forget me, but above all, remember 
never to offend God" 

57 



Xast IWor&s of 

Channing (William Ellery, distinguished Uni- 
tarian clergyman and writer of rare grace and 
beauty. He has been called the " Father of Amer- 
ican Unitarianism "), 1780-1842. " You need not 
be anxious concerning to-night. It will be very 
peaceful and quiet with me." 

He turned his face toward that sinking orb, and 
he and the sun went away together. Each, as the 
other, left the smile of his departure spread on all 
around, — the sun on the clouds ; he on the heart. 

Theodore Parker. 

His remains were brought to Boston, and com- 
mitted to the grave amidst the regrets of all classes 
and parties; and, as the procession moved from the 
church, the bell of the Catholic Cathedral tolled his 
knell, — a fact never perhaps paralleled in the history 
of Romanism. And so departed one of the great 
men of the Republic, — one who, amidst its servility 
to mammon and slavery, ceased not to recall it to 
the sense of its honor and duty, — a man whose 
memory his countrymen will not willingly let die. 
As the visitor wanders among the shaded aisles of 
the western part of Mount Auburn, he sees a massive 
monument of marble, designed by Allston, the poet- 
painter. Generous and brave men, from whatever 
clime, resort to it, and go from it more generous and 
brave; for there reposes the great and good man 
whom we have commemorated. The early beams, 
intercepted by neighboring heights, fall not upon the 
spot; but the light of high noon and the later and 

53 



. 



SDistfnguisbefc ffl>cn anfc Women 

benigner rays of the day play through the foliage in 
dazzling gleams upon the marble, — a fitting emblem 
of his fame; for, when the later and better light 
which is yet to bless our desolate race shall come, 
it will fall with bright illustration on the character 
of this rare man, and on the great aims of his life. 
Methodist Quarterly Review, January, 1849. 

Charles I. (Charles Stuart, King of England), 
1600-1649 "Remember!" to William Juxon, 
Archbishop of Canterbury, who declared to the 
Commissioners of the Commons that the king's 
last words were meant as a message to his son, and 
were intended to enjoin forgiveness of his enemies 
by his son in the future. Some say his last words 
were, " I fear not death; death is not terrible to me." 
He was executed January 30, 1649. l 



1 1 mention the discovery of the body of Charles I. when 
George IV. was Prince Regent. It has been asserted, and is, 
I believe, true, that the nation wished the body of him whom 
they always called " the saint and martyr " to be removed 
from Windsor and buried in Westminster Abbey; and 
that a sum of no less than i70,ooo was entrusted by Parlia- 
ment to Charles II. to erect a tomb over the remains of 
his father. If the story be true, the entire sum disappeared 
and was not put to the intended purpose. It was, however, 
supposed that the " White King's " coffin, at any rate, had 
been transferred to the Abbey. It was in order to settle 
a doubt on this point that George IV., then Prince Regent, 
went down into the vaults of Windsor with the famous 
physician, Sir Henry Halford. There they found the coffins 
of Henry VIII. and of his wife, Lady Jane Seymour; and 
between them lay a coffin on which were rudely scratched 

59 



Xast motbs of 

Charles II. (of England, "The Merry Mon- 
arch "), 1630-1685. " Don't let poor Nelly starve! " 
The king referred to Margaret Symcott, known as 
Eleanor Gwynne or Nell Gwynn. She commenced 
life as an orange-girl in the streets of London. Later 
she sang in taverns, and after a time became a popu- 
lar actress in the Theatre Royal. She is remembered 
as the mistress of Charles II. She seems to have 
been a very kind and good-Hearted woman. She 
was faithful to her royal lover, and upon his death 
retired from the world and lived in seclusion. 1 



the letters " C. I." In order to be sure that this was indeed 
the coffin of the executed king, they opened it — and there lay- 
before them the handsome face, just as Vandyke depicted 
it; though (as always happens in such cases) the nose fell 
in immediately that the corpse was exposed to the open air. 
Then — I simply tell the tale as it was told to me ; for, though 
there must be some printed account of the event, I have 
never seen it— Sir Henry Halford took up by the hair 
the decapitated head, and placed it on the palm of his hand, 
which was covered by his silk handkerchief. When he 
replaced the head in the coffin the vertebra of the neck, which 
had been smoothly severed by the axe of the executioner, 
was lying on his handkerchief; and the Prince Regent re- 
marked to Sir Henry that this would be an interesting relic 
for him. He took it ; and had it set in gold with the inscrip- 
tion, " Os Caroli Primi, heu intercisum." I believe that, by 
the wish and right-feeling of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, 
this relic of the hapless king has been replaced in the coffin. 
Everyone will recall the sanguinary epigram of Lord Byron 
upon the incident which I have narrated. — Farrar. 

*In his History of the Stage, Curll states that Nell first 
captivated the king by her manner of delivering the epilogue 
to Dry den's Tyrannic Love: or, The Royal Martyr. The 

60 



2>istm3Ui8be& fl&en ant) TKaomen 

Charles V. (of France, called " The Wise." He 
was the son of John II. who was made prisoner by 
the Black Prince at Poitiers), 1337-1380. "'Ah, 
Jesus! " 

Charles IX. (of France, second son of Henry 
II. and Catharine de' Medici), 15 50- 1574. " Nurse, 
nurse, what murder! what blood! Oh! I have done 
wrong, God pardon me!" The king referred, no 
doubt, to the massacre of St. Bartholomew, which 
he occasioned. Voltaire tells us his dying remorse 
was so great that " blood oozed from his pores." l 
There are recorded other examples of bloody sweat. 
It is said of a man at Lyons that when sentenced to 



tragedy was founded upon the story of the martyrdom of 
St. Catherine, by way of compliment to Catherine of Braganza. 
She personated Valeria, the daughter of Maximin, tyrant of 
Rome. 

1 The massacre of St. Bartholomew lasted seven days, during 
which more than 5,000 persons were slain in Paris, and 
about 50,000 in the country. During all this season of 
murder, the king betrayed neither pity nor remorse, but fired 
with his long gun at the poor fugitives across the river ; 
and on viewing the body of Coligni on a gibbet, he exulted 
with a fiendish malignity. In early life this monster had 
been noted for his cruelty : nothing gave him greater pleasure 
than cutting off the heads of asses or pigs with a single 
blow from his couteau de chasse. After the massacre, he is 
said to have contracted a singularly wild expression of feature, 
and to have slept little and waked in agonies. He attributed 
his thirst for human blood to the circumstance of his mother 
having at an early period of his life familiarized his mind 
with the brutal sport of hunting bullocks, and with all kinds 
of cruelty. — Winsloufs Anatomy of Suicide, p. 52, note, 

6l 



Xast TKIior&s of 

death a bloody sweat covered his body. In the 
Medical Gazette, December, 1848, is an account by 
Dr. Schneider of some Norwegian sailors who, in a 
tremendous storm, sweated blood from extreme 
terror. See also the British Critic, 1831, p. 1. When 
our Saviour bore the sins of the world in the Garden 
of Gethsemane, " his sweat was as it were great 
drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 
xxii., 44.) 

Charles V. (Don Carlos I. of Spain, afterwards 
Emperor of Germany), 1500-1558. "Now, Lord, 
I go ! " a moment later, with eyes fixed upon the 
crucifix, he added, " Ay, Jesus! " and expired. 

Charlemagne (Charles I., King of France and 
Emperor of the West), 742-814. "Lord, into thy 
hands I commend my spirit/' 

Charlotte (Augusta, commonly called the Prin- 
cess, daughter of George IV. and Queen Caroline), 
1 796- 1 81 7. " You make me drink. Pray leave me 
quiet. I find it affects my head." She died in child- 
bed. 

Chastelard, de (Pierre de Boscosel, a young 
French poet and musician who became enamoured 
of Mary Queen of Scots, and concealing himself in 
her bedchamber, attempted her honor. Mary par- 
doned his offence, but upon his repeating it, he was 

62 



Disttnauisbefc /[Den anfc Women 

executed at Edinburgh ) , 1 540- 1 563. He died chant- 
ing a love-song, having on the way to the scaffold 
prepared his mind for the work of the executioner 
by reading Ronsard's hymn on death. 

Chaucer (Geoffrey, " Father of English 
Poetry "), 1328-1400. Chaucer died repeating the 
" Balade made by Geoffrey Chaucyer, when upon 
his dethe-bedde, lying in his grete anguysse." 

Chenier (Andre), 1762- 1794. He was waiting 
for his turn to be dragged to the guillotine, when he 
commenced this poem: 

" Comme un dernier rayon, comme un dernier sephyre 
Anime la Un d'un beau jour; 
Au pied de Vechafaud j'essaie encore ma lyre, 
Peut-etre est ce bientbi mon tour; 

" Peut-etre avant que I'heure en cercle promenee 
Ait pose sur V email brillant, 
Dans les soixante pas oil sa route est bornee, 
Son pied sonore et vigilant, 

" Le sommeil du tombeau pressera me paupiere — " 

Here, at this pathetic line, was Andre Chenier sum- 
moned to the guillotine ! Never was a more beauti- 
ful effusion of grief interrupted by a more affecting 
incident. — Curiosities of Literature. 

Chesterfield (Philip Dormer Stanhope), 1694- 
1773. " Give Day Rolles a chair/' 

63 



Xast WLovbs of 

Chopin (Frederick, distinguished Polish pianist 
and composer), 18 10-1849. "Who is near me?" 
he was told Gutman — his favorite pupil. He bent 
his head to kiss the hand of his dear friend and 
pupil, and in that act of love and devotion died. 

Chrysostom (John, called "Saint"), 350-407. 
He died at the close of church-service, with the 
words, " Glory to God for all things, Amen." 

Splendor of intellect, mellowness of heart, and 
gorgeousness of fancy were the characteristics of 
this greatest of preachers. 

Chudleigh (Elizabeth, Duchess of Kingston. 
She was an adventuress famous throughout Eng- 
land for her wonderful beauty and for her wild and 
wayward life), 1 720-1788. " I will lie down on the 
couch; I can sleep, and after that I shall be entirely 
recovered" 

Cleopatra (Queen of Egypt, daughter of 
Ptolemy Auletes), b. c. 69-30. "Here thou art, 
then!" These words, which are traditional, she is 
said to have addressed to the asp with which she 
committed suicide. 

When she heard that it was Caesar's intention to 
send her into Syria, she asked permission to visit 
Antony's tomb, over which she poured forth most 
bitter lamentations. " Hide me, hide me," she ex- 
claimed, " with thee in the grave ; for life, since thou 
hast left it, has been misery to me" After crown- 

64 



H>i5tmamsbe& men anb TOomen 

ing the tomb with flowers, she kissed it, and ordered 
a bath to be prepared. She then sat down to a mag- 
nificent supper, after which a peasant came to the 
gate with a small basket of figs covered with leaves, 
which was admitted into the monument. Amongst 
the figs and under the leaves was concealed the asp 
which Cleopatra applied to her bosom. She was 
found dead, attired in one of her most gorgeous 
dresses, decorated with brilliants, and lying on her 
golden bed. — Winslow: "Anatomy of Suicide" 

Coke (Sir Edward, Lord Chief Justice of Eng- 
land, and author of the celebrated work, " Coke upon 
Littleton "), 1552-1633. " Thy kingdom come, thy 
will be done." 

Collingborn (William), "Lord ] Jesus! Yet 
more trouble? " These words he is reported to have 
spoken after the executioner had opened his body to 
extract his heart. 

William Collingborn was condemned for making 
this rhyme on King Richard III., 

The cat, the rat, and Lovel, our dog, 
Rule all England, under the hog. 

Collingborn was hanged and cut down alive, his 
bowels ripped out and cast into the fire; when the 
executioner put his hand into the bulk of his body, 
to pull out his heart, he said, " Lord Jesus ! Yet 

65 



%ast Works of 

more trouble? " and so died, to the great sorrow of 
many people. — Fab. Chron., p. 519. 

Collins (Anthony, essayist and deist), 1676- 
1729. " I have always endeavored, to the best of my 
ability, to serve God, my king and my country. I 
go to the place God has designed for those who love 
him." Some say his last words were, " The Catholic 
faith is, to love God and to love man. This is the 
best faith, and to its entertainment I exhort you all." 

Columbus (Christopher, discovered America 
October 12th, 1492), 1435-1506. "In manus tuos, 
Domine, commendo spiritum meum." 

Columbus died at Valladolid, a disappointed, 
broken-hearted old man; little comprehending what 
he had done for mankind, and still less the glory and 
homage that through all future generations awaited 
his name. — Ticknor. 

Confucius (His name was Kong, but his dis- 
ciples called him Kong-Fu-tse, which is " Kong the 
Master," and this the Jesuit missionaries Latinized 
into Confucius), b. c, 551-479. "I have taught 
men how to live!' 

Early one morning, it is said, he rose, and with his 
hands behind his back dragging his staff, moved 
about by his door, crooning, " The great mountain 
must crumble, the strong heart must break, and the 
wise man wither away like a plant. In all the prov- 
inces of the empire there arises not one intelligent 

66 



Msttnautefoefc) liken anfc Momen 

monarch who will make me his master. My time 
has come to die." He went to his couch and never 
left it again. . . . His mind was magnanimous 
and his heart was serene. He was a lonely old man 
— parents, wife, child, friends, all gone — but this 
made the fatal message so much the more wel- 
come. Without any expectation of a future life, 
uttering no prayer, betraying no fear, he approached 
the dark valley with the strength and peace of a 
well-ordered will resigned to Heaven, beyond a 
doubt treasuring in his heart the assurance of hav- 
ing served his fellow-men in the highest spirit he 
knew, and with the purest light he had. 

For twenty-five centuries he has been as unreason- 
ably venerated as he was unjustly neglected in his 
life. His name is on every lip throughout China, 
his person in every imagination. The thousands of 
his descendants are a titled and privileged class by 
themselves. The diffusion and intensity of the popu- 
lar admiration and honor for him are wonderful. 
Countless temples are reared to him, millions of 
tablets inscribed to him. His authority is supreme. 
He is worshiped by the pupils of the schools, the 
magistrates, the emperor himself in full pomp. 
Would that a small share of this superfluity had 
solaced some of the lonesome hours he knew while 
yet alive ! — Alger's " Genius of Solitude" 

Conradin (Konradin of Swabia, the last descend- 
ant of the imperial House of Hohenstaufen, son of 

6 7 



%ast Worfcs ot 

Konrad IV. ) 2 1252-1268. "0 my mother! how 
deep will beihy sorrow dt the Hews of this day! " 

A few minutes before his execution, Conradin, on 
the scaffold, took off his "glove and threw it into the 
midst of the crowd as a gage of vengeance, request- 
ing that it might be carried to his heir, Peter of Ar- 
ragon. This duty was undertaken by the Chevalier 
de Walburg, who, after many hairbreadth escapes, 
succeeded in fulfilling his prince's last command. 

Chambers' Encyclopcedia. 

Cookman (Alfred, American clergyman con- 
nected with the Presbyterian church), 1 828-1 871. 
"I am sweeping through the gates, washed in the 
blood of the Lamb/' 



Corday d'Armans, de (Marie Anne Charlotte, 
usually called Charlotte Corday, a young woman of 
noble family and of a courageous and lofty spirit. 
She stabbed Marat, one of the most bloodthirsty of 
all the vile monsters of the French Revolution), 
1 768- 1 793. " This is the toilette of death, arranged 
by somezvhat rude hands, but it leads to immortal- 
ity" She must have spoken later, perhaps many 
times, but the words recorded are the last of which 
we can be certain. 

One description of Charlotte Corday says that she 
was of medium height, with an oval face, fine fea- 
tures, blue eyes, a good nose, beautiful mouth, chest- 

68 



Btetingmsbefc /IDen ant) Momen 

nut hair, lovely hands and arms; another says that 
she was a virago, awkward, dirty, insolent, rubi- 
cund, and fat; and that if she had been pretty she 
would have been more anxious to live. 

La Demagogic 
We read in the Moniteur, " Charlotte Cor day has 
been executed, the 17th, about seven p. m., in the 
Place de la Revolution, in the (red) garb of assas- 
sins, and her goods confiscated to the Republic." 
The executioner. . . . struck the bleeding head, 
when he showed it, according to custom, to those 
present; the cheeks were still crimson, and it was 
said that they were so in consequence of the insult 
thus offered to them. 1 — La Demagogic 

Cosin or Cozen (Dr. John, English divine), 
1 594- 1 672. "Lord!" 



1 It is a tradition in Corsica that when St. Pantaleon was 
beheaded, the caput mortuum, as it might have been thought, 
rose from the block and sang. 

A reliable gentleman who witnessed an execution, wrote 
as follows : " It appears to be the best of all modes of 
inflicting the punishment of death, combining the greatest 
impression on the spectator with the least possible suffering 
to the victim. It is so rapid that I should doubt whether 
there was any suffering; but from the expression of the 
countenance, when the executioner held up the head, I am 
inclined to believe that sense and consciousness may remain 
for a few seconds after the head is off. The eyes seemed 
to retain speculation for a moment or two, and there was 
a look in the ghastly stare with which they stared upon the 
crowd, which implied that the head was aware of its ignomini- 
ous situation." 

69 



%ast WLotbs of 

He raised his hand and cried, " Lord ! " After 
this he expired without pain. It is thought that he 
wished to repeat his frequent prayer, " Lord Jesus, 
come quickly ! " He desired above all things to die 
suddenly and without distress of body or mind. 

Cowper (William, distinguished English poet), 
1 73 1- 1800. " What can it signify ? " Said to Miss 
Perowne, one of his attendants, who offered him 
some refreshments. He died in the gloom of a deep 
melancholy from which he had suffered during a 
considerable portion of his life. 

Crates (of Thebes, Cynic philosopher), about 
B - c. 33° — he was living in b. c. 307. " Ah! poor 
humpback! thy many long years are at last conveying 
thee to the tomb: thou shalt soon visit the palace of 
Pluto." 

Crates was deformed and ugly in shape and fea- 
tures, and to render himself still more hideous he 
sewed sheepskins on his coat, so that it was difficult 
at first sight to say to what species of animal he be- 
longed. He was, however, noted for self-control, 
abstinence, and simplicity of life. 

Cranmer (Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury), 
1 489- 1 556. " This unworthy right hand" 

When the fagots were lighted he stretched out his 
right hand, which had signed the recantation, into 
the flames, and there held it firmly till it was a mere 

70 



2)xstinautebe& flDen an& Women 

cinder. This took place before his body was reached 
by the fire. 1 

Cromwell (Oliver), 1599-1658. "My desire is 
to make what haste I may to be gone" Cromwell 
died of grief at the loss of his favorite daughter. 

Some say his last words were, " Then 1 am safe," 
in response to his chaplain who assured him that, 
" once in grace is always in grace." 



1 Upon the 14th of February, in the 30th year of Queen 
Mary, was Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, brought to 
the stake, where he first thrust his right hand into the fire 
(with which he had before subscribed a recantation) till it 
first, and then his whole body was consumed; but what was 
most remarkable, his heart remained whole, and was not 
once touched by the fire. — Baker's Chron. p. 463. 

We have the same story about the heart of Zuinglius. Three 
days after it had been cast into the fire to be burned to 
ashes some friends found it untouched by the flames. — Melch. 
Adam. Vit. p. 2>7- 

"Mr. J. C. Jeaffreson in his book 'The Real Shelley' 
writes : ' All the world knows how Shelley's torn and dis- 
figured corpse was reduced to ashes and a few fragments of 
bone (with the exception of the heart that would not be 
burnt) on the pyre;' and probably, since Trelawny, shortly 
after the poet's death, reported that 'his heart remained 
entire,' his statement has been unhesitatingly accepted. I 
have, however, reason for thinking that the story does not 
rest on trustworthy evidence. 

" When a body is burnt the part which longest resists the 
action of the fire after the base of the skull and one or 
two of the most solid portions of bone, is the liver. The 
heart, being hollow and smaller, is easily destroyed: but the 
liver, a moist and solid mass, repels intense heat, and ulti- 
mately deposits an ash of pure carbon, which no continued 
burning or increase of temperature can further change. In 

71 



Xast Moras of 

Crome (John, English landscape painter), 1766- 
182 1. " Hobbima, Hobbima, how I do love thee! " 

Crosby (Howard, Presbyterian clergyman, Chan- 
cellor of the University of New York, and a man of 
great classical learning), 1 826-1 891. " My heart is 
resting sweetly with Jesus, and my hand is in his!' 

the cemetery of Milan where I have seen human cremations 
completely carried out in seventy minutes by Signor Venini's 
reverberatory furnace, the best method known, I also learned 
that the liver, perhaps from its containing this element of 
carbon, can endure for a considerable time even that con- 
centrated whirlwind of fire, and remain almost intact after the 
heart has totally disappeared. Moreover, in Shelley's case the 
liver would have been saturated with sea-water, and thereby 
rendered still more incombustible. It is extremely improbable 
that Byron, Leigh Hunt, or Trelawny knew enough anatomy 
to identify accurately the charred substance they took to be 
the heart, and it is more likely, owing to the thin edge of 
the liver being consumed, and its size consequently being 
much reduced, that they mistook the shrunken remains of 
the one organ for the whole of the other. 

" From observing the Milanese cremations alluded to I think 
it barely possible that the human heart is ever capable of 
withstanding fire for more than a brief period; but since 
Mr. J. A. Symonds asserts, to my surprise, that Shelley's 
heart was given by Leigh Hunt to Mrs. Shelley, and is now 
at Boscombe, the seat of the present baronet, it would be 
easy for some competent anatomist to determine the question 
I have raised. 

" In any case, the hero-worshipping and sentimental tourists 
who go in crowds to that lovely spot beneath the pyramid of 
Caius Cestius to mourn over Shelley's untimely fate have 
been strangely deceived for more than sixty years in believ- 
ing that beneath the marble graven with the touching words 
' Cor Cordium ' lies the flame proof heart of their favorite 
poet." — Bicknell. 

72 



Dtetincjutebefc /iDen an& Mornen 

Cullen (William, distinguished physician), 
1 7 12- 1 790. "I wish I had the power of writing, 
for then I would describe to you how pleasant a thing 
it is to die." 

Cummings (George David, first Bishop of the 
Reformed Episcopal Church), 1822-1876. "Jesus! 
precious Saviour! " 

His last message to his church was : " Tell them 
to go forward and do a good work." 

Cushman (Charlotte Saunders, distinguished 
American actress), 18 16- 1876. Her last words are 
not recorded, but on the night before her death she 
asked to have Lowell's poem " Columbus " read to 
her, and from time to time she prompted the reader 
when a word or line was missing. 

Cuvier (George Chretien Leopold Frederic 
Dagobert, Baron, one of the greatest naturalists of 
modern times, and founder of the science of com- 
parative anatomy), 1769-1832. "It is delightful 
to see those whom I love still able to swallozv" to 
his daughter-in-law, to whom he handed a glass of 
lemonade he found himself unable to swallow. 

Cyprian (Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus, " Saint," 
Bishop of Carthage, Latin Father and martyr. He 
is the author of numerous epistles and tracts), 200- 
258. " Thanks be to God," to the heathen judge, on 
hearing from him the sentence of death. 

73 



Xast TOorfcs of 



Cyrus (Cyrus the Elder, surnamed "the Great/' 
founder of the Persian empire, and the greatest of 
Persian monarchs. He appears in Sacred History as 
the conqueror of Belshazzar. Herodotus represents 
him as killed in battle, but Xenophon records that he 
died a natural death), — b. c. 559. 

Xenophon (Cyropaedia B. viii. 7) gives the speech 
which Cyrus is said to have made upon his death- 
bed. These are the closing sentences in that speech : 

" When I am dead, my children, do not enshrine 
my body in gold, or in silver, or in any other sub- 
stance; but restore it to the earth as soon as possible; 
for what can be more desirable than to be mixed with 
the earth, which gives birth and nourishment to 
everything excellent and good? I have always 
hitherto borne an affection to men, and I feel that 
I should now gladly be incorporated with that which 
is beneficial to men. And now my soul seems to be 
leaving me, in the same manner as, it is probable, 
it begins to leave others. If, therefore, any one of 
you is desirous of touching my right hand, or is will- 
ing to see my face, while it has life, let him come near 
me; but zvhen I shall have covered it, I request of 
you, my sons, let no man, not even yourselves, look 
upon my body. Summon, however, all the Persians, 
and the allies, to my tomb, to rejoice for me, as I 
shall then be safe from suffering any evil, whether I 
be with the divine nature, or be reduced to nothing. 
As many as come, do not dismiss until you have be- 
stowed on them whatever favors are customary at 

74 



Dtetingufebefc /fl>en an& Women 

the funeral of a rich man. And remember this, as my 
iast admonition: by doing good to your friends, you 
will be able also to punish your enemies. Farewell, 
dear children, and say farewell to your mother as 
from me; farewell, all my friends, present and 
absent." 

Having said this, and taken every one by the 
right hand, he covered his face and expired. 

Damiens (Robert Frangois, known for his at- 
tempt to assassinate Louis XV., and called, because 
of his crimes, Robert le Diable), 1715-1757. " Oh 
death, why art thou so long in coming? " 

The punishment inflicted upon Damiens for his 
attack upon the king was horrible. The hand by 
which he attempted the murder was burned at a slow 
fire; the fleshy parts of his body were then torn off 
by pincers ; and finally, he was dragged about for an 
hour by four strong horses, while into his numerous 
wounds were poured molten lead, resin, oil and boil- 
ing wax. Towards night, the poor wretch expired, 
having by an effort of will almost superhuman, kept 
his resolution of not confessing who were his accom- 
plices if, indeed, he had any. His remains were im- 
mediately burned, his house was destroyed, his 
father, wife and daughter were banished from 
France forever, and his brothers and sisters com- 
pelled to change their names. — Chambers. 

From his arrest to his death — nearly three months 
— he was in torture ; bound in chains, and frequently 

75 



Xast movte of 

taken to the torture room, and there treated as the 
North American savages were wont to treat their 
victims, and with the aid of more skillful appliances 
for inflicting pain than Indians have. By a circui- 
tous journey he was taken to the place of execution, 
guarded by a small army, all Paris ready to see the 
show. For half an hour he was kept waiting in 
View of the preparations for his murder, and in the 
presence of an immense assemblage — many of them 
delicate ladies of high rank — he was bound naked 
upon a table placed on a high platform. The ladies 
and gentry looked on with joy; those who had suc- 
ceeded, through influence in gaining good positions 
for seeing the spectacle, saw his right hand (the one 
with which he had struck the King) burned off; the 
pieces of flesh torn from him by red-hot pincers, and 
melted lead and resin poured into his wounds; a 
powerful horse was attached to each of his four limbs, 
but it was impossible to tear him to pieces, and a 
request was sent to cut the muscles; but not until 
the request was repeated was permission given, and 
he did not expire until both legs and one arm had 
been torn from the body. His execution lasted over 
an hour. His body was burned, his house purchased 
and destroyed; and the leaders in this murder were 
munificently rewarded. To the two judges who 
pronounced sentence were given life pensions of six 
thousand francs a year; the lawyers, the clerks, the 
torturers and the executioners also had their reward. 
. . . Damiens was a monomaniac of the style 
7 6 



J 



Bistinguisbefc /l&en an& TOomen 

of Guiteau, driven insane, or excited to this special 
development of insanity by the political excitement 
of the time. It is probable, also, that he was a reli- 
gious monomaniac, for he was a pious fanatic — a 
Jacobinist — and in his pocket were found a copy of 
the New Testament, and thirty gold pieces. He had 
no accomplices, no plan, no motives that could appeal 
to a sane mind, any more than had Guiteau. 

Dr. George M. Beard. 

Danton (George Jacques), 1759- 1794. " You 
will show my head to the people — it will be worth 
the display! " Said to the executioner. 

When the judges asked him his name, residence, 
etc., he answered, " My name is Danton ; my dwell- 
ing will soon be in annihilation; but my name will 
live in the Pantheon of history ! " — Lamartine. 

Darwin (Charles, one of the most eminent of 
English naturalists), 1809-1882. "I am not in the 
least afraid to die." 

Darwin (Erasmus, English poet and physician. 
Author of "The Botanic Garden"), 1731-1802. 
<e There is no time to be lost." 

It is reported at Lichfield, that, perceiving himself 
growing rapidly worse, he said to Mrs. Darwin, 
" My dear, you must bleed me instantly." " Alas ! " 
said she, " I dare not, lest — " " Emma, will you ? 
There is no time to be lost." " Yes, my dear father, 

77 



Xast Morfcs of 

if you will direct me." At this moment he sank into 
his chair and expired. — The Book of Death. 

De Lagny (Thomas Fantet, French mathema- 
tician), 1 660- 1 734. " 144," in response to a friend 
who asked for the square of 12. 

Delagado (Gen. E., the Honduras Revolution- 
ist), — 1886. " We are ready — soldiers, fire! " 

He was shot with three other revolutionists 
(Lieut.-Col. Indalecio Garcia, Commander Meguel 
Cortez, and Lieut. Gabriel Loyant), at Comayagua, 
October 18, 1886. 

It was the desire of President Bogran to spare 
Gen. Delgado's life if possible, and any pretext would 
have been readily seized upon to give him an oppor- 
tunity of saving himself and at the same time vindi- 
cate the tribunal which had condemned him. The 
President sent a messenger to him to say that if he 
would promise to never again take up arms against 
Honduras he should receive a pardon. The soldier 
was too brave to accept even his life on these terms, 
and he sent back word that he would see Honduras in 
an even more tropical climate than she now enjoys 
before he would accept his pardon on such a pledge. 
When his answer was received there was nothing 
left but to prepare for the execution. 

On the morning of their execution the men were 
taken to a point near the Church of Comayagua; 
four coffins were placed near the wall and the four 

78 



Btsttnguisbefc flDen anfc Women 

condemned men were led to them. They accepted 
their positions as easily and gracefully as if they 
were in boxes at the opera, and not a face was 
blanched, not a nerve quivered. Gen. Delgado asked 
and received permission to order the guard to fire, 
which he did, first requesting them not to shoot him 
in the face, but in the breast. There was no rattle, no 
scattering reports, but one sharp, stunning report. 
The four men for half a second remained in an up- 
right position, as if still unhurt, and then rolled over, 
limp and bloody, dead. The soldiers had complied 
with Gen. Delgado's request, for three balls had 
penetrated his breast. 

Demorax (Greek philosopher), second century, 
b. c. " You may go home, the show is over." 

Lucian. 

De Quincey (Thomas, " The English opium- 
eater "), 1785- 1859. " Sister! sister! sister!" Dur- 
ing his last illness he was subject to fits of delirium, 
and in one of these he died. His last words indi- 
cate that he was living over in his mind the scenes of 
early days. 

Mr. Mackay gives this account of the condition of 
De Quincey's grave as it was in 1889: 

" The mural tablet is not weather-stained, and his 
grave is not utterly neglected, but well cared for by 
some loving hand or other. When in Edinburgh I 
almost always visit his grave, and only on Thursday, 

79 



Xast TOorfcs of 

May 23 last, I was there, and as the birds sang about 
in the grounds, the trees rustled, and the sun shone, 
I could hardly think of him sleeping in a more lovely 
spot, save it might be along with Wordsworth and 
Hartley Coleridge in the churchyard at Grasmere." 

A bright, ready and melodious talker, but in the 
end inconclusive and long-winded. One of the 
smallest man-figures I ever saw; shaped like a pair 
of tongs, and hardly above five feet in all. When 
he sat, you would have taken him, by candle-light, 
for the beautifulest little child, blue-eyed, sparkling 
face, had there not been a something too which said, 
" Eccovi — this child has been in hell." — Carlyle. 

Desmoulins (Benedict Camille, prominent 
French democrat and pamphleteer, called the " At- 
torney-general of the Lamp-post," because of his 
part in the death of those who were hung by the 
mob in the street), 1762- 1794. "Behold, then, the 
recompense reserved for the first apostle of liberty." 
Said while standing before the guillotine, and look- 
ing at the axe. When at the bar of Tinville he was 
asked his age, name, and residence, he said : " My 
age is that of the sansculotte Jesu — I am thirty-three ; 
an age fatal to revolutionists." 

De Soto (Hernando, Spanish explorer, discov- 
erer of the Mississippi River), about 1496-1542. 
"Luis de Moscoso "—the name of his successor. He 
must have spoken later, for he lived twenty-four 

80 



Btetingufebefc /iDen anfc THUomen 

hours after appointing his successor, but what he 
said the compiler has been unable to discover. 

Believing his death near at hand, on the twentieth 
of May he held a last interview with his followers 
and, yielding to the wishes of his companions, who 
obeyed him to the end, he named a successor. On 
the next day he died. Thus perished Ferdinand de 
Soto, the governor of Cuba, the successful associate 
of Pizarro. His miserable end was the more ob- 
served from the greatness of his former prosperity. 
His soldiers pronounced his eulogy by grieving for 
their loss ; the priests chanted over his body the first 
requiems that were ever heard on the waters of the 
Mississippi. To conceal his death, his body was 
wrapped in a mantle, and in the stillness of midnight 
was sunk in the middle of the stream. — Bancroft. 

De Witt (Cornelius, Dutch naval officer and 
statesman), 1625- 1672. 

One Tichelaer, a barber, a man noted for infamy, 
accused Cornelius de Witt of endeavoring by bribes 
to engage him in the design of poisoning the Prince 
of Orange. The accusation, though attended with 
the most improbable, and even absurd circumstances, 
was greedily received by the credulous multitude; 
and (Cornelius was cited before a court of judicature. 
The judges, either blinded by the same prejudices, or 
not daring to oppose the popular torrent, condemned 
him to suffer the question. This man, who had 
bravely served his country in war, and who had 

81 



Xast Morfcs of 

been invested with the highest dignities, was deliv- 
ered into the hands of the executioner, and torn in 
pieces by the most inhuman torments. Amidst the 
severe agonies which he endured, he still made pro- 
testations of his innocence, and frequently repeated 
an ode of Horace, which contained sentiments suited 
to his deplorable condition: " Justum et tenacem 
propositi virum" etc. 1 

The judges, however, condemned him to lose his 
offices, and to be banished the commonwealth. The 
pensionary, who had not been terrified from perform- 
ing the part of a kind brother and faithful friend dur- 
ing this prosecution, resolved not to desert him on 



x The man whose mind, on virtue bent, 
Pursues some greatly good intent, 

With undiverted aim, 
Serene beholds the angry crowd; 
Nor can their clamors, fierce and loud, 

His stubborn honor tame. 

Not the proud tyrant's fiercest threat, 
Nor storms, that from their dark retreat 

The lawless surges wake; 
Not Jove's dread bolt, that shakes the pole, 
The firmer purpose of his soul 

With all its power can shake. 

Should nature's frame in ruins fall, 
And chaos o'er the sinking ball 

Resume the primeval sway, 
His courage chance and fate defies, 
Nor feels the wreck of earth and skies 

Obstruct its destined way. 

Translated by Blacklocke. 

82 



Dfstfnguisbefc flDen an& Women 

account of the unmerited infamy which was en- 
deavored to be thrown upon him. He came to his 
brother's prison, determined to accompany him to 
the place of exile. The signal was given to the popu- 
lace. They rose in arms ; they broke open the doors 
of the prison ; they pulled out the two brothers, and 
a thousand hands vied who should first be imbrued 
in their blood. Even their death did not satiate the 
brutal rage of the multitude. They exercised on the 
dead bodies of those virtuous citizens indignities too 
shocking to be recited; and till tired with their own 
fury, they permitted not the friends of the deceased 
to approach or to bestow on them the honors of a 
funeral, silent and unattended. 

Hume's History of England. 

Dickens (Charles), 18 12- 1870. " On the 
ground." He was losing his balance and feared that 
he would fall to the floor. 

Diderot (Denis, French philosopher, atheist and 
chief among the Encyclopedists), 17 12- 1784. On 
the evening of the 30th of July, 1784, he sat down 
to the table, and at the end of the meal took an 
apricot. His wife, with kindly solicitude, remon- 
strated. " Mais quel diable de mal veux-te que cela 
me fosse?" he said, and ate the apricot. Then he 
rested his elbow on the table, trifling with some 
sweetmeats. His wife asked him a question; on 
receiving no answer, she looked up and saw that he 

83 



Xast WLovDs of 

was dead. He had died as the Greek poet says that 
men died in the golden age, " They passed away as 
if mastered by sleep." — John Morley. 

Dillon (Wentworth, Earl of Roscommon, Eng- 
lish poet and translator), about 1633- 1684. His 
last words were from his own translation of the 
"Dieslrae:" 

" My God, my Father, and my Friend, 
Do not forsake me in the end." 

Diogenes (the Cynic, son of Isecius), b. c. 413- 
323. Just what were his last words is uncertain, but 
a short time before he died, he was asked where he 
would be buried when dead. " In an open field," 
said he. " How ! " enquired one, " are you not 
afraid of becoming food for birds of prey and wild 
beasts ? " " Then I must have my stick with me," 
said Diogenes. " But," continued the other, " you 
will be devoid of sensation." " If that is the case," 
said he, " it is no matter whether they eat me or not, 
seeing I shall be insensible to it." 

His death was occasioned by indigestion from eat- 
ing a neat's foot raw; but some say he put an end 
to his life by holding his breath. After his death 
there was a great dispute among his friends and 
followers as to who should be accorded the privilege 
of burying him, and when they were about to come to 
violence, the magistrates interfered and quieted the 
disturbance. 

84 



£>isttnouisbe& flDen ant) Momen 

Dodd (Rev. Dr. William, author of numerous 
religious and other works. He was the founder of 
" The Magdalen " for reclaiming young women 
fallen from virtue, the " Poor Debtors' Society " and 
the " Humane Society." He was executed for 
forgery), 1729- 1777. Just before his death he said 
to the executioner, " Come to me" and when the 
executioner obeyed, the doctor whispered to him. 
What he said is not. known, but it was observed that 
the man had no sooner driven away than he took the 
place where the cart had been, under the gibbet, 
and held the doctor's legs, as if to steady the body, 
and the unhappy man appeared to die without pain. 

Dominic (" Saint," founder of the order of Do- 
minicans and of the order of Preaching Friars. He 
was one of the instigators of the cruel and inhuman 
crusade against the Albigenses about 12 12. Many 
strange stories are told of him, and among these that 
he offered himself for sale to the highest bidder, in 
order to raise money for charitable purposes), 1170- 
122 1. " Under the feet of my friars" when asked 
where he would like to be buried. 

Donne (John, D.D., English poet and theolo- 
gian), 1 573-163 1. "I were miserable, if I might 
not die." Some say his last words were : " I repent 
of my life except that part of it which I spent in com- 
munion with God, and in doing good." Others say 
his last words were, " Thy will be done." 

85 



Xast WLovbs of 

Dr. Donne was formerly Dean of St. Paul's. 
Among other preparations for his death, he ordered 
an urn to be cut in wood, on which was to be placed 
a board of the exact height of his body. He then 
caused himself to be tied up in a winding-sheet. 
Thus shrouded, and standing with his eyes shut, and 
with just so much of the sheet put aside as might 
discover his death-like face, he caused his portrait to 
be taken, which, when finished, was placed near his 
bedside, and there remained to the hour of his death. 
He was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral, where a 
monument was erected over him, composed of white 
marble, and carved from the above-mentioned pic- 
ture, by order of his dearest friend and executor, Dr. 
King, Bishop of Chichester. * 



1 Charles V., of Spain, seems to have entertained the same 
morbid desire for a personal acquaintance with his own post- 
mortem appearance and condition. In Robertson's History 
of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V. we have this account 
of the monarch's attendance upon his own funeral : " He 
resolved to celebrate his own obsequies before his death. He 
ordered his tomb to be erected in the chapel of the monastery. 
His domestics marched thither in funeral procession, with 
black tapers in their hands. He himself followed in his 
shroud. He was laid in his coffin with much solemnity. The 
service for the dead was chanted, and Charles joined in the 
prayers which were offered up for the rest of his soul, 
mingling his tears with those which his attendants shed, as 
if they had been celebrating a real funeral. The ceremony 
closed with sprinkling holy water on the coffin in the usual 
form, and all the assistants retiring, the doors of the chapel 
were shut. Then Charles rose out of the coffin, and with- 
drew to his apartment, full of those awful sentiments which 

86 



2)f8tingutsbefc /H>en an& Kaomen 

Dorney (Henry, a man of peculiarly beautiful life 
and religious experience. His " Contemplations and 
Letters," published after his death, had a large cir- 
culation), 1 613- 1 683. "I am almost dead; lift me 
up a little higher," to his wife. 

Drew (Samuel, English preacher and author. 
He commenced life as an infidel shoemaker, but after 
conversion gave himself to constant study of the 
Bible and Christian Theology. He wrote the once 
famous book, " The Immateriality and Immortality 
of the Soul"), 1 765- 1 833. "Thank God, to-mor- 
row I shall join the glorious company above." Last 
recorded words. 

Drummond (Henry, author of " Natural Law in 
the Spiritual World," " The Ascent of Man " and a 
large number of published lectures and addresses), 
1851-1897. "There's nothing to beat that, Hugh. 
It is a paraphrase of the words of Paul: 'I know 
whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is 
able to keep that which I have committed unto Him, 

such a singular solemnity was calculated to inspire." This 
story is somewhat changed in Stirling's " Cloister Life of the 
Emperor Charles V." 

If I must die, I'll snatch at every thing 
That may but mind me of my latest breath; 
Death's-heads, Graves, Knells, Blacks, Tombs, 
all these shall bring 
Into my soul such useful thoughts of death, 
That this sable king of fears 
Shall not catch me unawares. — Quarles. 

87 



Xast Wor&s of 

against that day/ " said of the lines which Dr. Bar- 
bour had just joined with him in singing: — 

" I'm not ashamed to own my Lord, 

Or to defend His cause, 
Maintain the glory of His cross, 

And honor all His laws." 

The last words of Drummond, as given above, are 
only the last recorded. He said much afterward, 
but most of his words were disconnected. His mind 
wandered idly from thought to thought without aim 
or purpose. 

D wight (Timothy, American clergyman and au- 
thor, President of Yale College. He wrote the beau- 
tiful hymn, " I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord "), 1752- 
18 1 7. " O, what triumphant truth! " 

Edward I. (of England, surnamed " Long- 
shanks"), 1 239- 1 307. " Carry my bones before 
you on your march, for the rebels will not be able to 
endure the sight of me, alive or dead," to his son 
Edward. * He died while endeavoring to subdue a 
revolt in Scotland. 



1 These instructions were probably ignored ; for, when his 
tomb was opened by the Society of Antiquaries in 1771, those 
present gazed for a moment on the features of the great 
victor before they sank into dust. The gold cloth was still 
folded round the colossal corpse; and the cast in the eyes 
was distinctly noticeable. The snow-white hair still remained. 
The coffin was then filled with pitch. — Farrar. 

88 



XDistmgtusbefc /JDen anb TKHomen 

Edward VI. (son of Henry VIII. and Queen 
Jane Seymour), 1537-1553. <c Lord take my spirit/' 

Edward (Prince of Wales, surnamed the Black 
Prince from the color of his armor), 1330-1376. 
" / give thee thanks, O God, for all thy benefits, and 
with all the pains of my soul I humbly beseech thy 
mercy to give me remission of those sins I have 
wickedly committed against thee; and of all mortal 
men whom willingly or ignorantly I have offended, 
with all my heart I desire forgiveness/' 

Edwards (Jonathan, President of the College of 
New Jersey and one of the greatest of metaphysi- 
cians), 1 703-1757. " Trust in God and you need not 
fear," to one who lamented his approaching death as 
a frown on the college and a heavy stroke to the 
church. 

The most awfully tremendous of all metaphysical 
divines is the American ultra- Calvinist, Jonathan 
Edwards, whose book on " Original Sin " I un- 

John Zisca, general of the insurgents who took up arms 
in 1419 against the Emperor Sigismund, seems to have had 
a like spirit with Edward I. He would revenge the deaths 
of John Huss and Jerome of Prague, who had been cruelly 
burned at the stake for their religious faith. He defeated 
the Emperor in several pitched battles, and gave orders that, 
after his death, they should make a drum out of his skin. 
The order was most religiously obeyed, and those very re- 
mains of the enthusiastic Zisca proved, for many years, fatal 
to the Emperor, who, with difficulty, in the space of sixteen 
years, recovered Bohemia, assisted by the forces of Germany. 
The insurgents were 40,000 in number, and well disciplined. 

89 



Xast TKHorfcs of 

happily read when a very young man. It did me 

an irreparable mischief. — An English author. 

Egbert (Col. Henry Clay), 1840- 1899. " Good- 
by, General; I'm done. I'm too old" said to Gen. 
Wheaton, who bending over the wounded officer, ex- 
claimed, " Nobly done, Egbert ! " Col. Egbert was 
killed near Manila in the war between the United 
States and the Philippines. 

In all his army service he was wounded four times 
before he received his death wound. He was ac- 
counted one of the most competent officers in the 
army, and in action it was said of him that the army 
had no officer more dashing, with the possible excep- 
tion of Gen. Guy V. Henry, now in command of the 
United States forces in Porto Rico. He was a little 
man, not above five feet five inches, and weighed 
only about one hundred and ten pounds. He had 
reddish hair, streaked with gray, and wore a red 
mustache and imperial. In plain clothes he was 
most immaculate, and he was called the best dressed 
officer in the army. 

N. Y. Daily Sun, March 27, 1899. 

Eldon (John Scott, Earl, Lord Chancellor of 
England), 1750-1838. " It matters not where I am 
going whether the weather be cold or hot" to one 
who spoke to him about the weather. 

He was a bigoted admirer of the law, of which he 
was so consummate a master. Projects of law re- 
form cut him to the soul, and he has been represented 

90 



2>istm6Uisbe6 /H>en an& TOomen 

as shedding tears on the abolition of the punishment 
of death for stealing five shillings in a dwelling- 
house. — Appleton's Cyclopedia of Biography. 

Eliot (Rev. John, commonly called " The 
Apostle to the Indians "), 1604-1690. " Come in 
glory! I have long waited for Thy coming. Let no 
dark cloud rest on the work of the Indians. Let it 
live when I am dead. Welcome joy! " 

Elizabeth (Queen of England, and daughter of 
Henry VIII. by Anne Boleyn), 1533-1603. "All 
my possessions for one moment of time." 

Some give her last words thus : " I will have no 
rogue's son in my seat." 

When Sir Robert Cecil declared that she must 
go to bed and receive medical aid, the word roused 
her like a trumpet. " Must ! " she exclaimed, " is 
must a word to be addressed to princes ? Little man, 
little man ! thy father, were he alive, durst not have 
used that word." Then, as her anger spent itself, 
she sank into the old dejection. " Thou art so pre- 
sumptuous," she said, " because thou knowest that I 
shall die." She rallied once more when the ministers 
beside her named Lord Beauchamp, the heir to the 
Suffolk claim, as a possible successor. " I will have 
no rogue's son," she cried hoarsely, " in my seat.' 1 ' 
But she gave no sign save a motion of the head at 
the mention of the King of Scots. She was, in fact, 
fast becoming insensible; and early the next morn- 

91 



Xast WLotbs of 

ing, on March 24, 1603, the life of Elizabeth, a life 
so great, so strange and lonely in its greatness, ebbed 
quietly away. 1 

Elizabeth (Philippine Marie Helene, usually 
called Madame Elizabeth, sister of Louis XVI), 
1 764- 1 794. " In the name of modesty, cover my 
bosom! " 

When she ascended the scaffold, the executioner 
rudely undid the clasp which closed the veil across 
her breast. " In the name of modesty/' she said to 
one of the bystanders whose arms were not tied, 
" cover my bosom ! " 

Alison, in his " History of Europe," calls atten- 
tion to the fact that " a similar instance of heroic 
virtue in death occurred in a female martyr in the 
early Christian church. Perpetua and Felicitas, both 
Christians, were sentenced in the year 203, to be 
killed by wild cattle at Carthage. They were both 
attacked, accordingly, by furious bulls, who tossed 
them on their horns. So violent was the shock that 
Perpetua fell on the ground stunned; but partly re- 
covering her senses, she was seen gathering her torn 
clothes about her, so as to conceal her limbs, and 



1 There is a dim tradition that, much more than a century 
ago, the tomb under which the two sister-queens — Mary, the 
Roman Catholic, and Elizabeth, the Protestant, regno con- 
sortes et urna — lie side by side had fallen into disrepair, and 
that a bold Westminster boy crept into the hollow vault, and, 
through an aperture in the coffin, laid his hand on the heart 
of the mighty Tudor queen. — Farrar. 

92 



2>istin0Utebefc /i&en anfc Women 

after tying her hair, she helped Felicitas to rise, who 
had been severely wounded ; and, standing together, 
calmly awaited another attack. " 

Elliott (Ebenezer, English poet known as the 
" Corn-Law Rhymer." He was a workman in an 
iron foundry who won the attention of the cultivated 
world by his verses, and rose to eminence by his 
" Corn-Law Rhymes " in which he urged the repeal 
of duties on corn. He wrote also " The Village Patri- 
arch," " Byron and Napoleon," " Love " and a num- 
ber of other poems of more or less merit), 1781- 
1849. "A strange sight, sir, an old man unwilling 
to die." 

Emerson (Ralph Waldo, American essayist, poet, 
and speculative philosopher), 1803- 1882. 

For the day or two before his death he was trou- 
bled with the thought that he was away from home, 
detained by illness at some friend's house, and that 
he ought to make the effort to get away and relieve 
him of the inconvenience. But to the last there was 
no delirium ; in general he recognized every one and 
understood what was said to him, though he was 
sometimes unable to make intelligible reply. He 
took affectionate leave of his family and the friends 
who came to see him for the last time, and desired 
to see all who came. To his wife he spoke tenderly 
of their life together and her loving care of him ; they 
must now part, to meet again and part no more. 
Then he smiled and said, " 0, that beautiful boy! " 

93 



Xast TOor&5 of 

1 was permitted to see him on the day of his death. 
He knew me at once, greeted me with the familiar 
smile, and tried to rise and to say something, but I 
could not catch the words. 

He was buried on Sunday, April 30, in Sleepy 
Hollow, a beautiful grove on the edge of the village, 
consecrated as a burial-place in 1855, Emerson de- 
livering the address. Here, at the foot of a tall pine- 
tree upon the top of the ridge in the highest part of 
the grounds, his body was laid, not far from the 
graves of Hawthorne and of Thoreau, and sur- 
rounded by those of his kindred. 1 

James Elliot Cabot 



1 The quiet little town of Concord is greatly stirred up over 
the discovery of a dastardly attempt on Saturday night to 
rob the last resting place of its noted dead, the grave of 
Ralph Waldo Emerson. The fact that the grave had been 
visited by vandals was discovered early Sunday afternoon 
by a visitor to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where the remains 
are interred. At the head of the grave was a large aperture 
seven feet in depth and twenty inches wide extending to the 
box containing the casket. 

An alarm was at once given, and the town authorities, to- 
gether with the Sleepy Hollow Commissioners, made an in- 
vestigation. The perpetrators of the deed have not been 
discovered, but the theory is that the attempted vandalism 
was made some time during Saturday night, and the villains 
were frightened away by some passing team on the Bedford 
road just adjacent. Whether the motive was to obtain pos- 
session of the remains, or to despoil the casket of its valuable 
trimmings, is, of course, a matter of conjecture; but the 
general impression is that the skull was what was most 
wanted. The wooden box inclosing the casket had decayed 
somewhat, the interment having taken place over seven years 

94 



2>fsttn0uis&e& /iDen anb Momen 

Emmet (Robert, an eloquent Irish enthusiast and 
sincere patriot, and one of the chiefs of the " United 
Irishmen "), 1 780-1803. " Not—" 

He said on the scaffold, at the close of a brief ad- 
dress : " My friends, I die in peace, and with senti- 
ments of universal love and kindness towards all 
men." He then shook hands with some persons on the 
platform, presented his watch to the executioner, 
and removed his stock. The immediate preparations 
for execution then were carried into effect, he as- 
sisted in adjusting the rope round his neck, and was 
then placed on the plank underneath the beam, and 
the cap was drawn over his face ; but he contrived to 
raise his hand, partly removed it, and spoke a few 
words in a low tone to the executioner. The cap 
was replaced, and he stood with a handkerchief in his 
hand, the fall of which was to be the signal for the 
last act of the " finisher of the law." After standing 
on the plank for a few seconds the executioner said : 
" Are you ready, sir? " and Emmet said, " Not yet." 

ago, and in the earth which the rascals had thrown out were 
some pieces of the box. One side of the casket had fallen 
down a little, but this is attributable to natural decay. Other- 
wise the casket had not been disturbed or opened. 

Mr. Edward W. Emerson, son of Ralph Waldo, arrived 
home this afternoon, and the investigation of the desecration 
of his father's grave was immediately entered upon by him 
with the town authorities. Mr. Emerson has been out of town 
for two weeks or more, and the first information he had of 
the affair was that given him upon his arrival this noon. The 
earth has been replaced, and a watch placed over the grave. 

N. Y. Times, Oct. 15, 1889. 

95 



Xast Tlflior&s of 

There was another momentary pause; no signal was 
given; again the executioner repeated the question, 
"Are you ready, sir?" And again Emmet said, 
" Not yet." The question was put a third time, and 
Emmet pronounced the word " Not ; " but before he 
had time to utter another word the executioner tilted 
one end of the plank off the ledge. 

Madden 3 s Life of Emmet. 

Let no man write my epitaph ; for as no man who 
knows my motives dare now vindicate them, let not 
prejudice or ignorance asperse them. Let them and 
me repose in obscurity and peace, and my tomb re- 
main uninscribed until other times and other men 
can do justice to my character. When my country 
takes her place among the nations of the earth — 
then, and not till then — let my epitaph be written I 
have done. — From Emmet's Last Speech. 

See Moore's beautiful poem on Emmet's fate and 
on his attachment to Miss Curran in two of the Irish 
Melodies. 

Emmons (Rev. Dr. Nathaniel, distinguished New 
England theologian and divine), 1745-1840. "/ 
am ready." 

Enghien d' (Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon, 
Due, French prince who was arrested on neutral 
territory on suspicion of conspiracy, and, after a 
military trial which was little better than a farce, 
shot), 1 772- 1 804. To the soldiers who had pointed 

96 



S>tetttt0Utebefc> /B>en anfc> Women 

their guns he said : " Grenadier si lower your arms, 
otherwise you will miss me or only wound me/* 
Some say his last words were : " Is there no priest 
at the chateau ? — is there no priest ? " 

A lantern glimmering at either end of the file of 
soldiers shewed d'Enghien his fate. As the sentence 
of death was read, he wrote in pencil a message to his 
wife, folded and gave it to the officer in command 
of the file, and asked for a priest. There was no 
priest in residence at the chateau. He prayed a mo- 
ment, covering his face with his hands. As he raised 
his head, the officer gave the word to fire. 

Hopkins: " The Dungeons of Old Paris/' 

This deed excited general and deep indignation 
against Bonaparte, and is commonly regarded as one 
of the worst crimes by which his memory is stained. 
Lippincott: " Biographical Dictionary." 

Epaminondas (Theban statesman and general. 
Cicero describes him as " the greatest man that 
Greece ever produced"), B. c. 412-363. "All is 
welll " These words were spoken immediately after 
the javelin had been extracted from his breast. 

The fatal dart was thrown by Gryllus, son of 
Xenophon, the historian and leader of the ten thou- 
sand Greeks on their retreat from the battle-field of 
Cunaxa to the Black Sea. 

Erasmus (surnamed Roterdamensis, Dutch 
scholar. He was an illegitimate son of Gerard Praet, 

97 



Xast motbs of 

a citizen of Gonda), 1467-1536. " Domine! Domine! 
fac ftneml fac Unemt " 

Etty (William, English historical painter among 
whose last pictures are " Pandora Crowned by the 
Seasons," " Ulysses and the Sirens/' " Joan of Arc," 
and "The Judgment of Paris"), 1 787-1849. 
" Wonderful, wonderful, this death! " 

Eucles (The " runner " from the plains of Mara- 
thon, who brought the news of the successful issue 
of that battle to the anxious Senate waiting at 
Athens). "Rejoice! we rejoice! 33 As Eucles ran 
he cried these words until he came to the Senate, 
when he shouted them with all his voice and fell 
dead. 

Eugenius IV. (Gabriele Condolmero, Pope), 
1 383- 1 447. " Oh Gabriele, how much better would 
it have been for thee, and how much more would it 
have promoted thy soul's welfare, if thou hadst never 
"been raised to the Pontificate, but hadst been content 
to lead a quiet and religious life in the monastery. ,3 

Evereruard (Charles de, Saint-Denis, French 
courtier, soldier, wit and litterateur. He was a brave 
man, but of flippant disposition), 161 3- 1703. 
" With all my heart I would fain be reconciled to 
my stomach, which no longer performs its usual 
functions, 33 said to an ecclesiastic who asked him if 
he would be reconciled. During his last days he gave 

98 



2>fetfn0ufsbefc flDen an& Women 

no attention to religious matters, and only regretted 
that he could not digest partridges and pheasants, 
and must eat only boiled meats. 

Farinato (Paolo, Italian painter), about 1525- 
1606. "Now I am going." These words he cried 
out as he lay upon his death bed. His wife who was 
sick in the same room, hearing him, answered, " I 
will bear you company, my dear husband;" and she 
did so, for as he drew his last breath she also expired. 

Fichte (Johann Gottlieb, distinguished German 
philosopher whose name is forever associated with 
those of Kant, Schelling, and Hegel as worthy of a 
place with the greatest thinkers of modern times), 
1762-1814. " Indeed no more medicine; I am well!' 

The following, purporting to be the " Dying Con- 
fession of Fichte," has been frequently published, 
but upon what authority the compiler of this book 
has been unable to discover: 

" I know absolutely nothing of any existence, not 
even of my own. Images there are, and they con- 
stitute all that apparently exists. I am myself one 
of those images ; nay, not so much, but only a con- 
fused image of an image. All reality is converted 
into a marvellous dream, without a life to dream of, 
or a mind to dream ; into a dream itself made up only 
of a dream. Perception is a dream; and thought, 
the source of all the existence, the reality of which I 
imagine to myself, is but the dream of that dream.'* 

LtfC. 99 



%nst TPflor&s ot 

For eleven days he lingered, with but few intervals 
of clear consciousness, his sleep being ever deeper 
till on the night of the 27th of January all sign of 
life vanished. He was buried in the first churchyard 
before the Oranienburg gate in Berlin; at his side 
now lie the remains of Hegel and Solger. Five 
years later his wife was laid at his feet. On the tall 
obelisk which marks his grave is the inscription from 
the Book of Daniel : " The teachers shall shine as 
the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn 
many to righteousness as the stars that shine for ever 
and ever." 

Adamson: " Life and Philosophy of Fichte." 

Fillmore (Millard, thirteenth President of the 
United States), 1 800-1874. " The food is palatable/' 

Flavel (John, distinguished nonconformist 
clergyman and author), 1 627-1 691. "I know that 
it will be well with me.' 3 

A man of beautiful Christian character and great 
learning who was ejected from his charge at Dart- 
mouth in 1662 for nonconformity. The Episco- 
palians were not satisfied to persecute this servant of 
God during his life, but ordered his monument re- 
moved from the Church of St. Saviour. 

Fontenelle de (Bernard le Bovier, author of 
" Conversations on a Plurality of Worlds," " Dia- 
logues of the Dead " and " History of the Academy 

100 



2>tetinguisbeb flDen anb KHomen 

of Science"), 1657-1757. "I suffer nothing, but 
feel a sort of difficulty of living longer/' 

Voltaire calls him, " The most universal genius of 
the age of Louis XIV." 

Fordyce (George, distinguished Scottish physi- 
cian. Author of " Elements of Agriculture and 
Vegetation"), 1736- 1802. "Stop, go out of the 
room; I am about to die/' to his daughter who was 
reading to him. 

Forster (Johann Reinhold, a Polish Prussian 
naturalist, geographer and philologist), 1729- 1798. 
" This is a beautiful world." 

Fox (George, founder of the Society of Friends), 
1 624- 1 690. "All is well, all is well — the Seed of 
God reigns over all, and over death itself. Though 
I am weak in body, yet the power of God is over all, 
and the Seed reigns over all disorderly spirits." A 
little later he said, and they were his last words, 
" Never heed; the Lord's power is over all weakness 
and death." 

Fox (Charles James, English orator and states- 
man), 1 749- 1 806. " Trotter will tell you," said to 
Mrs. Fox, who did not understand what he meant. 

Francis (" Saint," of Assisi, founder of an order 
of mendicant friars called Franciscans or Cordeliers, 
from the cord with which they girded their coarse 

101 



Xast Mottos of 

tunics), 1 182-1226. " The righteous wait expectant 
till I receive my recompense! 3 

Members of his order were kneeling around his 
bed, awaiting his death. 

Francke (August Hermann, professor of Orien- 
tal languages at Halle, author of " Methodus Studii 
Theologian " and other works, and founder of the 
orphan asylum and college for the poor which were 
known as Francke's Institutions), 1660- 1727. 
" Yes," to his wife who asked him if his Saviour was 
still with him. 

So long as he was able to speak he would repeat 
from time to time in both Hebrew and German, 
" God will continue to support me. My soul has 
cast itself upon him; Lord, I wait for thy salva- 
tion. 

Franklin (Benjamin, moralist, statesman, and 
philososopher), 1706- 1790. " A dying man can do 
nothing easy." He endured in later years a com- 
plication of diseases, which brought the extremity of 
physical suffering, but courage was strong, and he 
worked on almost to the last. Worn with pain, he 
welcomed the end. His last look was on the picture 
of Christ which had hung for many years near his 
bed, and of which he often said, " That is the pic- 
ture of one who came into the world to teach men to 
love one another." The resolute repression of all 
signs of suffering, every indication of the long con- 
flict, passed at once. He lay smiling in a quiet 

102 



SJistingutebefc ZlDen an& Women 

slumber, and the smile lingered when the coffin lid 
shut him in. His grave is in the heart of the city- 
he loved, and even the careless passerby pauses a 
moment to read the simple legend. 

An epitaph, written by him in 1729, holds his 
chief characteristics, his humor, his quiet assurance 
of better things to come, whether for this world or 
the next : 

THE BODY 

OF 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN., 

PRINTER, 

(LIKE THE COVER OF AN OLD BOOK, 

ITS CONTENTS TORN OUT, 

AND STRIPT OF ITS LETTERING AND GILDING), 

LIES HERE, FOOD FOR WORMS. 

YET THE WORK ITSELF SHALL NOT BE LOST, 

FOR IT WILL, AS HE BELIEVES, APPEAR ONCE MORE, 

IN A NEW AND MORE BEAUTIFUL EDITION, 

CORRECTED AND AMENDED 

BY 

THE AUTHOR. 1 



*It has been suggested that Franklin was helped to his 
famous epitaph upon himself by Benjamin Woodbridge's 
funeral elegy upon John Cotton, preserved in Mather's Mag- 
nalia : 

" A living, breathing Bible ; tables where 
Best covenants at large engraven were; 
Gospel and law in his heart had each its column; 
His head an index to the sacred volume; 

IO3 



Xast movte of 

Frederick William I. (Friedrich Wilhelm L, 
King of Prussia, son of Frederick I.), 1688- 1740. 
" Herr Jesu, to thee I live; Herr Jesu, to thee I die; 
in life and in death thou art my gain." 

" Feel my pulse, Pitsch," said he, noticing the 
Surgeon of his Giants: "tell me how long this will 
last." " Alas ! not long," answered Pitsch. "Say- 
not, alas ; but how do you know ? " " The pulse is 
gone ! " " Impossible," said he, lifting his arm : 
" how could I move my fingers so, if the pulse were 
gone? " Pitsch looked mournfully steadfast. " Herr 
Jesu, to thee I live; Herr Jesu, to thee I die; in life 
and in death thou art my gain (Du bist mein 
Gewinn)." These were the last words Friedrich 
Wilhelm spoke in this world. He again fell into a 
faint. Eller gave a signal to the Crown Prince to 
take the Queen away. Scarcely were they out of the 
room when the faint deepened into death ; and Fried- 
rich Wilhelm, at rest from all his labors, slept with 
the primeval sons of Thor. 1 — Carlyle. 



His very name a title-page; and next 
His life a commentary on the text. 
O, what a monument of glorious worth, 
When in a new edition he comes forth, 
Without erratas, may we think he'll be 
In leaves and covers of eternity." 

1 Mr. Carlyle may well call it a " characteristic trait " in 
his favorite Friedrich Wilhelm, as that " wild son of Nature " 
lay a-dying, that on a certain German hymn which he " much 
loved" being sung to him, or along with him, — when they 
came to the words, " Naked I came into the world, and naked 

IO4 



£>istinsutebe& /iDen anfc Momen 

Frederick II. (of Prussia, called Frederick the 
Great), 1744- 1786. " Throw a quilt over it." He 
referred to one of his dogs that sat on a stool near 
him, and was shivering from cold. These were his 
last conscious words, but later, in delirium, he said, 
" La montagne est passee, nous irons mieux" 

The king had always about him several small 
English greyhounds; but of these only one was in 
favor at a time, the others being taken merely as 
companions and playmates to the fondling. As these 
greyhounds died they were buried on the Terrace of 
Sans Souci, with the name of each on a gravestone ; 
and Frederick, in his will, expressed his desire that 
his own remains might be interred by their side — a 
parting token of his attachment to them, and of his 
contempt for mankind! On this point, however, his 
wishes have not been complied with. 1 

Lord Mahon's Historical Essays. 

shall I go out," — " No," said he, with vivacity, " not quite 
naked ; I shall have my uniform on." After which the singing 
went on again with vivacity, akin to that with which the 
mother of Henri Quatre — not left the world, but brought her 
son into it; for historians, without romancing, tell us she 
sung a gay Bearnais song as her brave boy was coming into 
the world at Pau. 

1 Mr. Berkley, of Knight sbridge, who died in 1805, left 
a pension of £25 per annum to his four dogs. This man, 
when he felt his end approaching, called for his four dogs. 
These were placed by his side; and he reached them his 
trembling hand, caressed them, and breathed his last between 
their paws. The four dogs were sculptured, according to his 
last wish, upon the corners of his tomb. 

105 



Xast TKHorfcs of 

Frederick V. (of Denmark), 1 723-1766. "It 
is a great consolation to me, in my last hour, that I 
have never wilfully offended anyone, and that there 
ts not a drop of blood on my Jiands." 

Fuller (Andrew, English Baptist clergyman, 
first secretary of the English Baptist Missionary So- 
ciety, and an author of great repute in his day. He 
has been called the " Franklin of Theology "), 1754- 
181 5. " I have no religious joys; but I have a hope, 
in the strength of which I think I could plunge into 
eternity," said to a young minister who stood by his 
bedside. 

Fuseli or Fuessli (John Henry, historical 
painter ) , 1 74 1 - 1 82 5 . " Is Lawrence come — is Law- 
rence come? " 

He looked anxiously round the room — said sev- 
eral times, " Is Lawrence come — is Lawrence 
come?" and then appeared to listen for the sound 
of the chariot wheels which brought his friend once 
a day from London to his bedside. He raised him- 
self up a little, then sank down and died, on the 16th 
of April, 1825, and in the 84th year of his age. 

Life of Fuseli 

Gainsborough (Thomas, eminent portrait and 
landscape painter), 1 727-1 788. " We are all going 
to heaven, and Vandyke is of the company/' 

106 



S>istinoufsbe& fl&en anfc Women 

Galba (Servius Sulpicius, Roman Emperor), 3 
b. c. 69 a. d. "Strike, if it be for the Roman's 
good. 3 ' — Plutarch. 

" Ferirent si ita e republica videretur," are the 
words of Tacitus, who says, however, that there were 
many different stories of what he said; those who 
killed him could not be expected to care what it was ; 
" non interfuit occidentium quid diceret." — Clough. 

Gambetta (Leon Michel, French statesman. He 
was a brilliant and courageous agitator, and it is to 
his efforts in large measure that the French Republic 
owes its existence. It was reported at the time of 
his death that he met with an accident in handling a 
revolver, but there are those who insist that he was 
deliberately shot by his mistress, with whom he had 
quarreled), 1838- 1882. " I am lost, and there is no 
use to deny it" 

Gardiner (James, a Scotish officer distinguished 
for piety and courage), 1 688-1745. " You are fight- 
ing for an earthly crown; I am going to receive a 
heavenly one" These words he is reported to have 
spoken to an officer upon the opposite side after the 
battle against the Pretender at Prestonpans, in 
which he was mortally wounded, but there is some 
doubt in the minds of his biographers as to the trust- 
worthiness of the report. 

See Rev. Dr. Philip Doddridge's " Life of Col- 
107 



%net movbs ot 

onel James Gardiner/ ' and the account of Colonel 
Gardiner's death in Scott's " Waverley." 

Gardiner (Stephen, Bishop of Winchester), 
1483- 1 555. " Erravi cum Petro, sed non Hevi cum 
Petro" 

Gardner (Thomas, Colonel in the American 
army, killed at the battle of Bunker Hill), 1724- 1775. 
His precise words are not preserved, but the last de- 
sire that he expressed was that he might have suf- 
ficient strength to continue the fight against the Brit- 
ish one half hour longer. 

Colonel Gardner is represented, in a dramatic pro- 
duction called " The Battle of Bunker Hill " which 
was printed at Philadelphia in 1776, as saying im- 
mediately after receiving the wound of which he 
died: 

" A musket ball, death-winged, hath pierced my groin, 
And widely oped the swift current of my veins. 
Bear me then, soldiers, to that hollow space 
A little hence, just on the hill's decline. 
A surgeon there may stop the gushing wound, 
And gain a short respite to life, that yet 
I may return and fight one half hour more. 
Then shall I die in peace, and to my God 
Surrender up the spirit which he gave." 

Garfield (James A., twentieth President of the 
United States: assassinated by Charles Julius 
Guiteau), 1831-1881. " The people my trust" 

108 



2>tetinguisbe& /iDen anfc IKIiomen 

Garibaldi (Guiseppe, Italian patriot and general, 
author of " Cantoni the yolunteer " and " The Rule 
of the Monk"), 1807-1882. As he lay dying two 
small birds alighted on the window-sill and looked 
into his room. He noticed them, and said, " Those 
are the spirits of my little girls, Rosa and Annita, 
who have come to see their father die. Be kind to 
them, and feed them when I am dead." It is thought 
that his mind was wandering. 

He gave minute and positive orders to be cremated 
immediately after death. The urn containing his 
ashes was to be placed under the orange tree that 
shaded the tombs of his two little girls. But this 
wish, cherished for years, was disregarded. He was 
embalmed and exposed to the gaze of the crowds who 
hastened to Caprera on hearing of his death. The 
excuse was, that it would have been impossible to 
have burned his body in the way he indicated, with 
the aromatic woods that grow near the spot he had 
chosen, as the ashes would have been mixed with the 
burned wood. But this was only an excuse and 
nothing more, for Dr. Praudina, to whom Garibaldi 
wrote on this subject five years before his death, had 
prepared the sheet of asbestos that would have kept 
together the precious ashes. The true reason for this 
violation of the great man's order was the desire of 
the Republican party to have the remains brought 
to Rome and buried on the Janiculum, where from 
time to time political demonstrations might be made. 
When once a man is dead it is very uncertain what 

109 



Xast Mor&s of 

degree of respect will be paid to his expressed wishes 
by those who survive. 

Garth (Sir Samuel, English physician and poet), 
-i 7 1 8. "Dear gentlemen, let me die a natural 
death," to his physicians whom he saw consulting to- 
gether just before his death. After receiving ex- 
treme unction he said, " I am going on my journey : 
they have greased my boots already." 

Gassendi or Gassend (Pierre, philosopher, 
mathematician, astronomer and metaphysician), 
1 592- 1 65 5. " You see what is man's life." 

Gautama " The Buddha," Siddhartha or Sakya 
Muni, founder of Buddhism), b. c. 624-543. "Be- 
loved Bickus, the principle of existence, and mutabil- 
ity carries with it the principle of destruction. Never 
forget this; let your minds be filled with this truth; 
to make it known to you I have assembled you." 
Bigandfs Life of Gautama, Vol. ii., p. 68. 

Sometimes his last words are given thus : " Be- 
hold, brethren, I exhort you, saying, Decay is in- 
herent in all component things, but truth will remain 
forever." 

His life was without reproach. His constant 
heroism equalled his conviction; and if his theory 
was false, his personal example was irreproachable. 
He was the model of all the virtues he preached. His 
abnegation, his charity, his unalterable gentleness did 
not forsake him for an instant. He prepared his doc- 

110 



SHstinguisbefc flbcn anfc Momen 

trine by six years of silence and meditation, and he 
propagated it for half a century by the sole power of 
his word. And when he died in the arms of his 
disciples, it was with the serenity of a sage who had 
practised good all his life, and who was assured he 
had found the truth. — Barthelemy St. Hilaire. 

Sir Edwin Arnold (in the preface to his " The 
Light of Asia") calls Gautama "the highest, gen- 
tlest, holiest and most beneficent personality, with 
one exception, in the History of Thought," who 
" united the truest princely qualities with the intellect 
of a sage and the passionate devotion of a martyr. 
. . . Forests of flowers are daily laid upon his 
stainless shrines, and countless millions of lips daily 
repeat the formula, ' I take refuge in Buddha ! ' "* 



1 The King of Siam is sending an envoy to India to re- 
ceive the relics of Buddha, discovered some time ago on 
the Nepal frontier, which were offered his Majesty by the 
Indian Government. The King, who gratefully accepted the 
offer, has agreed to distribute portions of the relics among 
the Buddhists of Burma and Ceylon from Bangkok. It 
will probably be remembered that in January last a well- 
preserved stupa was opened at the village of Piprahwa, 
on the Nepal frontier, in the Basti district of the North- 
west Provinces. This village was in the Birdpur grant, a 
large property owned by Mr. William C. Peppe and his 
brother. Inside the building was found a large stone coffer, 
crystal and steatite vases, bone and ash relics, fragments of 
lime, plaster, and wooden vessels, and a large quantity of 
jewels and ornaments placed in two vases in honor of the 
relics. A careful list was at once made of all the articles, 
and Mr. Peppe generously offered to place them at the dis- 
posal of the Government. The special interest of the dis- 

III 



Xast Worfcs of 

Gellert (Christian Fiirchtegott, a German poet 
of rare grace and beauty), 171 5-1 769. " Now, God 
be praised, only one hour!" on being told that he 
could live only an hour. 

George IV. (of England, eldest son of George 
III. and Queen Charlotte), 1762- 1830. "Wally, 
what is this? It is death, my hoy: they have de- 
ceived me," said to his page, Sir Walthen Waller. 

Gerson (Charlier de, surnamed " The Most Chris- 
tian Doctor/' chancellor of the University of Paris 
and canon of Notre-Dame. He is supposed to have 
been the author of the " Imitation of Christ/' at- 
tributed to Thomas a Kempis), 1363-1429. "Now, 
O God, thou dost let thy servant depart in peace! 



covery lies in the fact that the relics in honor of which the 
stupa was erected appear to be those of Gautama Buddha 
Sakya Muni himself, and may be the actual share of the 
relics taken by the Sakyas of Kapilavastir at the time of the 
cremation of Gautama Buddha. 

The inscription on one of the urns proves that the builders 
of the stupa believed the relics to be those of Gautama Buddha 
himself, and runs : " This relic-receptacle of the Blessed 
Sakya Buddha is dedicated by the renowned brethren with 
their sisters and their sons' wives." The characters of the 
record, Prof. Biihrer points out, do not mark medial long 
vowels, and appear to be older than those of the Asoka in- 
scription. 

The actual relics, being a matter of such intense interest 
to the Buddhist world, were offered by the Indian Govern- 
ment to the King of Siam, who is the only existing Buddhist 
monarch, with a proviso that he would not object to offer a 
portion of the relics to the Buddhists of Burma and Ceylon, 

112 



H)isttn0utebet> flDen an£> Momen 

The soul that is accompanied to eternity by the 
prayers of three hundred children, may advance with 
humble hope into the presence of their Father and 
their God/' 

The pious Gerson, the canon of the church and 
chancellor of the University of Paris, had the terror 
of his last moments assuaged by the prayers of three 
hundred children supported and educated by his char- 
ity, and who were congregated in his house from the 
threshold to his bedchamber. 

Gibbon (Edward, author of " The History of the 
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"), 1737- 
1794. " Mon Dieut Mon Dieu!" 

Some authorities give his last words thus : " Pour- 

and it was suggested that his Majesty should send a deputa- 
tion to receive the sacred relics with due ceremonial. 

No relics of Buddha authenticated by a direct inscription 
have before been found in modern times, so the relics are 
as rare as they are unique, and by all Buddhists will be 
regarded as most sacred and holy objects of devotion. Their 
presentation to the King of Siam, the recognized head of 
the religion, is therefore highly proper. The accessories which 
were discovered will, it is understood, be distributed among 
the Imperial Museum at Calcutta, the Lucknow Provincial 
Museum, and perhaps the British Museum, Mr. Peppe re- 
taining a reasonable number of duplicates for his own use. 
The stone coffer above referred to is over four feet in length 
and two in height. It is made out of a solid block of sand- 
stone, and weighs about sixteen hundredweight. It is under- 
stood that the acknowledgments of the Government have been 
conveyed to Mr. Peppe for his public-spirited action in the 
matter. — London Times, Dec. 17, 1886. 

113 



Xast Morfcs of 

quoi est ce que vous me quittez," to his valet-de- 
chambre. 

The valet-de-chambre observed that Mr. Gibbon 
did not at any time, show the least sign of alarm, or 
apprehension of death; and it does not appear that he 
ever thought himself in danger, unless his desire to 
speak to Mr. Darrell may be considered in that light. 

Lord Sheffield* s Memoirs. 

Goar (Saint, "Patron Saint of the Rhine"), 
€t My children, these fearful forests and these barren 
rocks shall be adorned with cities and temples, where 
the name of Jesus shall be openly adored. Ye shall 
abandon your precarious and hard chase, and as- 
semble together under temples lofty as those pines, 
and graceful as the crown of the palm. 

"Here shall my Saviour be known in all the 
simplicity of his doctrines. Ah! would that I might 
witness it; but I have seen those things in a vision. 
But I faint! I am zveary! My earthly journey is 
finished! Receive my blessing. Go! and be kind one 
to another." 

Robert Blakey: " Christian Hermits" 

Goethe or Gothe (Johann Wolfgang von, 
greatest of German poets), 1 749-1 831. "More 
light! more light! " He mistook the shadow of 
death for evening twilight. 

He continued to express himself by signs, draw- 
ing letters with his fore-finger in the air, while he 

114 



Bistinautebefc flfcen anfc TPHomen 

had strength, and finally, as life ebbed, drawing 
figures slowly on the shawl which covered his legs. 
At half past twelve he composed himself in the corner 
of the chair. The watcher placed a finger on her lip 
to intimate that he was asleep. If sleep it was it was 
a sleep in which a great life glided from this world. 
Lewes' 's Story of Goethe's Life. 
Coudray, who was present when the poet died, 
left a manuscript on " The Last Days and the Death 
of Goethe/ ' which has been published. Goethe was 
seated in the bed-room, in an arm-chair standing be- 
side the bed. Thinking that he saw paper lying on 
the floor, he said : " Why is Schiller's correspondence 
permitted to lie here? " Immediately, thereupon, he 
uttered his last audible words : " Do open the shut- 
ter in the bed-room, in order that more light may 
enter." (Macht dock den Fensterladen im Schlaf- 
gemach auf, demit mehr Licht herein kornme.) 

Goldsmith (Oliver), 1728-1774. "No, it is 
not," to a physician who asked if his mind was at 
ease. 

Gough (John Bartholomew, distinguished Ameri- 
can temperance advocate), 18 17- 1886. " Young 
man, keep your record — " the last word was inaudi- 
ble, but was probably " clean." 1 



1 A paragraph from one of Mr. Gough's public addresses, 
carved upon his monument in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, 
shows the strength of his conviction and illustrates the direct- 
ness and force of his style: 

"5 



Xast motte of 

Grant (Ulysses Simpson, eighteenth President of 
the United States, and one of the most distinguished 
of American generals), 1822-1885. "Water" said 
to an attendant who inquired if he wished for any- 
thing. 

Grattan (Henry, Irish statesman and orator), 
1 750- 1 820. "I am perfectly resigned. I am sur- 
rounded by my family. I have served my country. 
I have reliance upon God, and am not afraid of the 
Devil/' 

Gray (Thomas, author of " Elegy written in a 
country churchyard "), 1716-1771. ft Molly, I shall 
die! " 

Greeley (Horace, famous editor of " The Log 
Cabin," and later founder, and, for thirty years 
editor of "The New York Daily Tribune"), 1811- 
1872. " It is done! " During the closing days of his 
life his mind was deranged. 

Green (Joseph Henry, distinguished English sur- 
geon, thinker, philosopher, and instructor), 1791- 
1863. "Stopped!" 

Among all the brilliant young men who gathered 
at the feet of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, eager to 

" I can desire nothing better for this great country than 
that a barrier high as heaven be raised between the unpolluted 
lips of the children and the intoxicating cup ; that everywhere 
men and women should raise strong and determined hands 
against whatever will defile the body, pollute the mind, or 
harden the heart against God and His truth." 

Il6 



Distfnauisbefc flDen ant) Momen 

learn from this " rapt one of the god-like brow," 
none surpassed him in admiration, and possibly in 
ability. It was not strange that Coleridge selected 
him to complete the development of that " Spiritual 
Philosophy v which was the great unaccomplished 
work of his life. Upon Coleridge's death, Mr. Green 
abandoned all his London work, threw aside the dis- 
tinctions and emoluments of professional life, re- 
wards that would surely increase from year to year, 
and devoted his whole time to philosophy and inci- 
dental studies to qualify himself for carrying out the 
commission of Coleridge. The story of his death 
has been told by one of his colleagues at St. Thomas's 
Hospital, one whose fame is familiar to the profes- 
sion, Mr. Simon. " Not even the last agony of 
death," said Mr. Simon, " ruffled his serenity of 
mind, or rendered him unthoughtful of others. No 
terrors, no selfish regrets, no reproachful memories 
were there. The few tender parting words which he 
had yet to speak he spoke. And to the servants who 
were gathered grieving round him, he said, ' While 
I have breath, let me thank you for all your kindness 
and attention to me.' Next, to his doctor who 
quickly entered, — his neighbor and old pupil, Mr. 
Carter, — he significantly, and pointing to the region 
of his heart, said, ' Congestion,' after which he in 
silence set his finger to his wrist, and visibly noted to 
himself the successive feeble pulses which were just 
between him and death. Presently he said 
' Stopped,' and this was the very end. It was as if 

117 



3Last TKHor&s of 

even to die were an act of his own self-government ; 
for at once, with the warning word still scarce be- 
yond his lips, suddenly the stately head drooped 
aside, passive and defunct, forever." 

Dr. Theophilus Parvin. 

Gregory VII. ("the Great," Pope Hildebrand), 
about 1 020- 1 085. " / have loved justice and hated 
iniquity; therefore, I die an exile" He died at 
Salerno, May 25, 1085. 

His dying words are deeply affecting, but yet a 
stern and unbending profession of the faith of his 
whole life, and of the profound convictions under 
which even his enemies acknowledge him to have 
acted. Chambers' Encyclopedia. 

Grey (Lady Jane), 1537-1554. " Lord, into Thy 
hands I commend my spirit." 

Then the hangman kneeled down and asked her 
forgiveness, whom she forgave most willingly. Then 
he willed her to stand upon the straw ; which doing, 
she saw the block. Then she said, " I pray you de- 
spatch me quickly." Then she kneeled down, saying, 
" Will you take it off before I lay me down ? " And 
the hangman said, " No, Madam." Then she tied 
the handkerchief about her eyes, and, feeling for 
the block, she said, " What shall I do? Where is it? 
Where is it ? " One of the standers-by guided her 
thereunto; she laid her head down upon the block 
and then stretched forth her body, and said " Lord, 

118 



2>istfngutebefc men an£> Women 

into Thy hands I commend my spirit/' and so 
finished her life in the year of our Lord 1554. 

Fox's " Book of Martyrs." 
Lady Jane was only in her seventeenth year, and 
was remarkable for her skill in the classical, oriental, 
and modern languages, and for the sweetness of her 
disposition. 

Grotius or De Groot (Hugo, jurist, divine, 
historian, and scholar), 1583-1645. "I heard your 
voice; but did not understand what you said/' to 
Quistorpius, a clergyman who repeated in German 
a prayer suitable for a dying person. Some say his 
last words were, " Be serious." 

Guiteau (Charles Julius, hanged June 30, 1882, 
in the United States jail, Washington, D. C., for the 
assassination of President Garfield), 1841-1882. 
" Glory hallelujah! I am going to the Lordy! I 
come! Ready! Go!" 

Guiteau published, while in jail, his autobiog- 
raphy, through the medium of a metropolitan news- 
paper. It is full of repetitions and minute details, 
and its reading is a severe tax upon patience. It es- 
tablishes the fact that, in spite of his assertions to 
the contrary, his motive was not political, but was 
the gratification of an inordinate vanity. In one 
place Guiteau says : " During the week preceding 
the President's removal, I read the papers carefully. 
I thought it all over in detail. I thought just 
what people would talk, and thought what a 

119 



last WLovbs of 

tremendous excitement it would create, and I 
kept thinking about it all the week. I then prepared 
myself. I sent to Boston for a copy of my book, 
' The Truth/ and I spent a week in preparing that, 
and I greatly improved it. I knew that it would 
probably have a large sale on account of the notoriety 
that the act of removing the President would give 
me, and I wished the book to go out to the public in 
proper shape." It is now generally believed that 
Guiteau was insane. 

Gustavus Adolphus (Gustavus II., King of 
Sweden, one of the greatest of soldiers and one of 
the best of men), 1 594-1632. "I have enough, 
brother; try to save your own life" to the Duke of 
Lauenburg. 

Some authorities say that when he was fallen to 
the ground, he was asked, who he was, and replied : 
" I am the King of Sweden, and seal with my blood 
the Protestant religion and the liberties of Germany. 
Alas ! my poor Queen ! My God ! My God ! " 

A subaltern of the imperial army, observing the re- 
spect with which the unknown officer was treated by 
his few followers, naturally concluded that he was a 
person of importance, and called out to a musketeer : 
" Shoot that man, for I am sure he is an officer of 
high rank." The soldier immediately fired, and the 
King's left arm fell powerless by his side. At this 
moment a wild cry was raised, "The King bleeds! 
the King is wounded ! " " It is nothing ! " shouted 

120 



2>fstfn0Utebe& Qbcn anfc Women 

Gustavus ; " follow me/' But the pain soon brought 
on faintness, and he desired the Duke of Lauenburg 
in French to lead him out of the throng. Whilst 
the duke was endeavoring to withdraw him with- 
out being noticed by the troops, a second shot struck 
Gustavus and deprived him of his little remaining 
strength. " I have enough, brother/' he said in a 
feeble voice to the duke; " try to save your own life/" 
At the same moment he fell from his horse, and in 
a short time breathed his last. — Markham's Germany. 

Hale (Nathan, captain in Continental Army, exe- 
cuted by the British as a spy), 175 5- 1776. " I only 
regret that I have but one life to give to my 
country! " 

He was confined in the green-house of the garden 
during the night of September 21, and the next 
morning, without even the form of a regular trial, 
was delivered to Cunningham, the brutal provost 
marshal, to be executed as a spy. He was treated 
with great inhumanity by that monster. The serv- 
ices of a clergyman and the use of a Bible were 
denied him, and even the letters which he had been 
permitted by Howe to write to his mother and sisters 
during the night were destroyed. He was hanged 
upon an apple-tree in Rutger's orchard, near the 
present intersection of East Broadway and Market 
street. Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution. 

Haller (Dr. Albert, eminent Swiss anatomist 
and physiologist. He is chiefly known by his " Dis- 

121 



Xast XMtorfcs of 

iputationes Anatomicae Selectse." George II. ob- 
tained for him a brevet as a noble of England, 
and he is sometimes spoken of as Baron Haller), 
1 708- 1 777. Feeling his own pulse, he exclaimed, 
" The artery ceases to beat/' and instantly expired. 

Halyburton (Thomas, professor of divinity in 
the new college at St. Andrews), 1674-17 12. " Pray! 
pray!" 

He cried out several times, " Free grace, free 
grace; not unto me." He spoke little the last six 
hours before his death, only some broken sentences, 
which with difficulty were understood. Now and 
then he would lift up his hands and clap them as a 
sign that he was encouraging himself in the Lord. 
At last he cried, " Pray ! pray ! " which was done by 
five or six ministers, and so he fell asleep in our Lord. 

Hamlin (Cyrus, distinguished American mis- 
sionary and first President of Robert College, Con- 
stantinople), 1811-1900. " Put me there," pointing 
to a chair which belonged to his mother and in 
which he used to sit as a boy, eighty years ago, in his 
old home at Waterford. He passed away peacefully, 
and his body was buried, a few days later, in the 
cemetery at Lexington, Massachusetts. 

Hammond (Henry, English divine and author), 
1 605- 1 660. " Lord, make haste I " 

Hampden (John, English patriot and statesman), 

1 594- 1 643. " O Lord, save my country I O Lord, 

be merciful to < " 

122 



SHstingmsbefc jflDen ant) TKHomen 

Hanway (Jonas, English merchant famous for 
his benevolence, author of " Journal of Travels 
Through Russia and Persia," and " Historical Ac- 
count of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea "), 
1 712-1786. "If you think it will be of service in 
your practice or to any one who tnay come after me, 
I beg you will have my body opened: I am willing to 
do as much good as possible." 

Harrison (Benjamin, twenty-third President of 
the United States), 1833-1901. "Are the doctors 
here? " to his wife who had just asked him if he 
wanted anything. 

As Tuesday marked the turning point in his dis- 
ease, so it was the time from which evidences of 
consciousness began to disappear. Since that time 
there were few lucid intervals, and it is doubtful, 
with the single exception of Tuesday afternoon, 
when his little girl was taken to his bedside, and he 
recognized her for a moment, if he had been con- 
scious at all of his surroundings. The last words 
he spoke were to Mrs. Harrison in answer to a ques- 
tion, but his voice was then almost inaudible and his 
manner indicated that it required a concentration of 
effort to grasp the import of the wife's question and 
frame a reply. 

In his delirium, Mr. Harrison's mind wandered 
frequently to the stirring scenes through which he 
had passed, and he spoke of events connected with 
the history of his country and in which he played a 

123 



Xast motbs of 

conspicuous part, as the Chief Magistrate of the 
nation. But his mind seemed more to be occupied 
with thoughts of the Boer war than with any other 
one thing to which he alluded, and it was manifest 
that the struggle of the South African people for lib- 
erty had made a deep impression, and had awakened 
his strongest sympathies, for he frequently talked, 
disconnectedly, of course, of the sufferings of the 
Boer people, and the attempt to crush them out of ex- 
istence. — New York Sun, March 14, 1901. 

Harrison (William Henry, ninth President of 
the United States), 1 773-1 841. " / wish you to un- 
derstand the true principles of government. I wish 
them carried out. I ask nothing more" 

Hauser (Kaspar, the " Nuremberg Foundling "), 
-1833. " Tired — very tired — a long journey — to 
take" after these words he turned his face to the 
wall and never spoke again. 

He was becoming more feeble every moment, and 
repeated several times, " Tired — very tired — all my 
limbs — too heavy — for me." 

The good Pastor Fuhrmann comforted and en- 
couraged him with the words of Scripture, ending 
with, " Father, not my will," and Kaspar responded, 
" but thine be done." To test his consciousness, the 
Pastor asked, "Who prayed thus?" and again he 
was ready with his answer, " Our Saviour." — " And 
when? " — " Before he died." A few minutes after 

124 



2>istmautsbe& /H>en anb Momen 

this followed his last words," Tired — very tired — a 
long journey — to take.'* — The Duchess of Cleve- 
land : " The True Story of Kaspar Hauser. " 

The strange and mysterious history and sad death 
of Kaspar Hauser called forth the deepest interest 
and sympathy throughout Europe. He was dis- 
covered in the streets of Nuremberg in 1828, a lad 
about sixteen, knowing almost nothing of the world, 
and able to speak but two or three words of any 
language, and of the meaning of these he had but a 
dim understanding. He had with him a letter pur- 
porting to be written by a Bavarian peasant, declar- 
ing that Hauser had been left at his door, and had 
been cared for by him. It was gradually ascertained 
that the youth had been confined from infancy in a 
dark vault, so small that one could not stand, and 
could move only slightly in its enclosure. He had 
never tasted any food but bread and water, which 
had been brought to him by an unknown man while 
he was sleeping. Hauser was cared for by a number 
of generous and sympathetic patrons, among whom 
was Lord Stanhope; and his mental and physical 
condition was studied by the scientific men of the 
time. In 1833 he was invited to a meeting with a 
stranger who promised to reveal to him the secret of 
his strange condition, and to tell him who he was, 
but when Hauser was reading a document given him, 
this stranger suddenly wounded him with a dagger, 
causing his death within three days. See interesting 
history of the " Nuremberg Foundling " in Merker's 

125 



%ast Ximort>0 ot 

" Kasper Hauser," and Feuerbach's " Account of an 
Individual Kept in a Dungeon." 

Havergal (Frances Ridley), 1836-1879. " He! 3 
It is thought she wished to say, " He died for me." 

Havelock (Sir Henry), 1795-1857. "Come, 

my son, and see how a Christian can die." 

Haydn (Francis Joseph), 1732- 1809. " God pre- 
serve the Emperor." He referred to the Emperor 
Francis. 

In 1809 Vienna was bombarded by the French. A 
round-shot fell into his garden. He seemed to be in 
no alarm, but on May 25 he requested to be led to his 
piano, and three times over he played the " Hymn to 
the Emperor," with an emotion that fairly overcame 
both himself and those who heard him. He was to 
play no more; and, being helped back to his couch, 
he lay down in extreme exhaustion to wait for the 
end. Six days afterward, May 31, 1809, died 
Francis Joseph Haydn, aged seventy-seven. 

Haweis's " Music and Morals." 

Haydon (Benjamin Robert, English artist ), 
1 786- 1 846. His last recorded words were, " God 
-forgive me. — Amen!" Haydon took his own life in 
a moment of great mental depression. 

At dinner he got up from his chair and turned 
a glazed picture to the wall ; his brain could not bear 
the reflected light. He looked flushed and haggard, 

126 



2>istin0ufebe£> men anfc Momen 

and passed a silent and abstracted evening. That 
night he was heard walking about his room nearly 
the whole night, apparently in great agitation. It 
was in those wakeful hours he settled his resolve. He 
was dressed and out of his room early the next morn- 
ing (226. June), and walked down, before breakfast, 
to Riviere, a gunmaker in Oxford Street, near Re- 
gent Street. Here he bought one of a pair of pistols. 
He came home about 9 a. m v breakfasted alone, 
then went to his painting-room, and probably wrote 
the letters to his children, his will, and his " last 
thoughts." As his mother and sister passed the paint- 
ing-room door on their way to their rooms, about 
10:30 A. m.j they tried the door — it was locked — 
and he called out very fiercely, " Who's there? " A 
few minutes after, as if regretting the tone in which 
he had spoken, he came up to his mother's room, 
kissed her affectionately, and lingered about the room 
as if he had something to say. But he said little, ex- 
cept to ask her to call that day on an old friend (one 
of the executors he had just named in his will) and, 
returned to his painting-room, deliberately wrote in 
his journal : — 

" God forgive me. — Amen ! '" 

In a few moments he had destroyed himself. 

Stoddard: " Hay don's Life, Letters and Table 
Talk. 3 ' 

Hazlitt (William, essayist and critic), 1778- 
1830. " I have led a happy life ." 

127 



Xast WLovte of 

Heine (Heinrich, German poet and author), 
1 800- 1 856. " Set your mind at rest, Dieu me par- 
donnera, c'est son metrer." 

Some hours before he died a friend came into his 
room to see him once more. Soon after his entry he 
asked Heine if he was on good terms with God. " Set 
your mind at rest," said Heine, " Dieu me pardon- 
nera, c'est son metrer."' 

Stigand: " Life, Work and Opinions of Heine" 

Catherine Bourlois, Heine's nurse, says in a letter 
to Mrs. Charlotte Embden, that Heine's last words 
often repeated were, " I am done for." She en- 
deavored to comfort him with such kind and relig- 
ious words as came to her mind, but all that she 
said had little effect. 

Heloise or Eloise (a beautiful and accomplished 
French woman ; the niece of Fulbert, canon of Notre- 
Dame. She became successively the pupil, mistress 
and wife of Abelard. After her marriage she became 
prioress of Argenteuil, and acquired a high reputa- 
tion for piety. Her letters, written in elegant Latin, 
and printed with those of Abelard, are the expres- 
sions of a noble and fervent spirit), about 1 100-1 164. 
" In death at last let me rest with Abelard/' 

Heloise, when she felt the approach of death, di- 
rected the sisterhood to place her body by the side of 
that of Abelard, in the same coffin. It was commonly 
reported and believed, such was the credulity of the 
age, that at the moment when the coffin of Abelard 

128 



Btetinauisbefc flDen an& Momen 

was opened to lay her within it, the arm of the skele- 
ton stretched itself out, opened, and appeared to be 
reanimated to receive the beloved one. They reposed 
for five hundred years in one of the aisles of the 
Paraclete, and after various changes, came to rest 
at last in the beautiful cemetery of Pere-la-Chaise at 
Paris. 

Hemans (Felicia Dorothea), 1794-1835. "/ 
feel as if I were sitting with Mary at the feet of my 
Redeemer, hearing the music of his voice, and learn- 
ing of Him to be meek and lowly. " 

Hendricks (Thomas A., Vice-President of the 
United States), 1819-1885. "At rest at last. Now I 
am free from pain." 

Henry IV. (of France), 15 53- 16 10. "I am 
wounded" said when struck by the assassin Ra- 
vaillac. 

While the coach stopped, the attendants with the 
exception of two, went on before; one of these two 
advanced to clear the way, the other stopped to fasten 
his garter. At that instant a wild-faced, red-haired 
man in a cloak, who had followed the coach from the 
Louvre, approached the side where the king sat, as 
if endeavoring to push his way, like other passengers, 
between the coach and the shops. Suddenly putting 
one foot on a spoke of the wheel, he drew a knife, 
and struck the king, who was reading a letter, be- 
tween the second and third rib, a little above the 
heart. " I am wounded," cried the king, as the 

129 



Xast TKHorfcs of 

assassin, perceiving that the stroke had not been 
effectual, repeated it. The second blow went directly 
to the heart ; the blood gushed from the wound and 
from his mouth, and death was almost instantaneous. 
A third blow which the assassin aimed at his victim 
was received by the Duke of Eperon in the sleeve. 

The assassin's name was Francis Ravaillac, a 
native of Angoumois, who had been a solicitor in 
the courts of law. Whether the crime was prompted 
solely by his own imagination, or whether he was 
the instrument of any deep-laid conspiracy, was 
never clearly ascertained, though the latter was the 
general supposition. — Chambers' Miscellany. 

Henry VIII. (second son of Henry VII. and 
Elizabeth of York. The death of his elder brother 
Arthur, in 1502, made him heir apparent to the 
throne. He married his brother's widow, Catharine 
of Aragon, and, upon his father's death in 1509, was 
crowned king of England. The great event in his 
reign was his divorcement of Catharine and his mar- 
riage with Anne Boleyn, which led to the repudiation 
of Romanism in England, and the organization of 
the English or Episcopal Church), 1491-1547. 
" Monks! Monks! Monks! " He was in all prob- 
ability thinking of the time when he abolished the 
monasteries and turned the monks out of doors. 

Henry (Patrick, American statesman and ora- 
tor), 1 736- 1 799. " I trust in the mercy of God, it is 
not now too late" 

130 



2>fstfn0utebe& flDen anfc Momen 

Henry (Philip, English dissenting clergyman. 
He was the father of Matthew Henry, the eminent 
English divine and commentator), 1631-1696. " O 
death, where is thy — " Here his speech failed, and 
in a few moments he breathed his last. 

Henry (Matthew, commentator on the Bible), 
1662-17 14. " A life spent in the service of God, and 
communion with Him, is the most comfortable and 
pleasant life that any one can live in this present 
world." 

He was twenty-five years pastor of a church at 
.Chester, and during that time went through the 
Bible three times in the course of expository lectures. 
" At the commencement of his ministry he began 
with the first chapter of Genesis in the forenoon, and 
the first chapter of Matthew in the afternoon. Thus 
gradually and steadily grew his ' Exposition ' of the 
Bible. A large portion of it consists of his public 
lectures, while many of the quaint sayings and pithy 
remarks with which it abounds, and which give so 
great a charm of raciness to its pages, were the 
familiar extempore observations of his father at 
family worship, and noted down by Matthew in his 
boyhood." 

Herbert (George, author of some of the finest 
sacred lyrics in the English language), 1 593-1632. 
" / am now ready to die. Lord, forsake me not, now 
my strength faileth me; but grant me mercy for the 

131 



%nst TKHorfcs of 

merits of my Jesus. And now Lord — Lord, now 
receive my soul/' 

With these words he breathed forth his divine 
soul, without any apparent disturbance, Mr. Wood- 
not and Mr. Bostock attending his last breath, and 
closing his eyes. 

Thus he lived, and thus he died like a saint, un- 
spotted of the world, full of alms-deeds, full of hu- 
mility, and all the examples of a virtuous life ; which 
I cannot conclude better, than with this borrowed 
observation : 

All must to their cold graves; 
But the religious actions of the just 
Smell sweet in death, and blossom in the dust. 

Izaak Walton. 

Herder (Johann Gottfried von, court-preacher at 
Weimar, and one of the most brilliant and delight- 
ful of German authors), 1744-1803. He died writing 
an " Ode to the Deity; " his pen had just reached the 
last line. His last spoken words were "Refresh 
me with a great thought." 

Hervey (James, English divine, author of the 
once popular book, " Meditations Among the 
Tombs "), 1713-1758. " Precious salvation! " 

Leaning his head against the side of the easy-chair, 
without a sigh, or groan, or struggle, he shut his 
eyes and died. 

Heylin (Peter, author of "Life of Bishop 
Laud " and " Defence of the Church of England "), 
1 600- 1 662. *'/ go to my God and Saviour." 

132 



Bistinguisbefc flDen an& TKIlomen 

Hill (Rev. Rowland, a popular, pious, but eccen- 
tric preacher), 1 745-1833. "Christ also hath once 
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he 
might bring us unto God." 

Hobbes (Thomas, philosopher and translator), 
1 588- 1 679. " Now am I about to take my last voy- 
age — a great leap in the dark." 

Some say Hobbes's last words were : " I shall be 
glad to find a hole to creep out of the world at." 

He clung warmly to his friends, had a horror of 
being left alone in his illness, bequeathed all his prop- 
erty to the faithful servant and friend who had been 
his amanuensis. He was not afraid of death but 
said he should willingly " find some hole to creep 
out of the world at," and was wont to amuse himself 
with choosing for the epitaph to be graven on his 
tombstone, " This is the true philosopher's stone." 
Alger's " Genius of Solitude." 

Hodge (Charles, American theologian, for fifty- 
six years President of Princeton Theological 
Seminary. His " Systematic Theology " in three vol- 
umes, is one of the ablest compends of divinity in 
the English language. His " Commentary on the 
Epistle to the Romans " has been greatly prized by 
Bible-students), 1797- 1878. "My work is done, 
the pins of the tabernacle are taken out." 

A moment later he was heard to whisper : 

" A guilty, weak, and helpless worm, 
On Thy kind arms I fall." 

133 



%a$t WLovbs ot 

Hofer (Andreas, Tyrolese patriot), 1 767-1810. 
" I stand in the presence of my Creator, and stand- 
ing I will render back my spirit to God who gave it. 
Fire! " to the officer who directed him to place him- 
self on his knees. 

The first six shots wounded him but slightly. 
Dropping on his knees he received the remaining six, 
and was still struggling convulsively when a cor- 
poral, discharging a pistol close to his head, put an 
end to his sufferings. — Markham. 

Hogg (James, "the Ettrick Shepherd"), 1772- 
1835. "It is likely you may never need to do it 
again" to his wife, whom he had asked to watch by 
his bedside during the night. 

Hood (Thomas), 1798- 1845. <c Dying, Dying." 
Like poor Yorick, he was " a fellow of infinite jest; 
of most excellent fancy." In his genius were united 
the intensely pathetic and the exquisitely humorous. 
His life was one of toil and suffering, and yet he was 
always joking and making those around him laugh. 
His wit did not forsake him on his death-bed; it is 
recorded that when a mustard plaster was applied 
to his attenuated feet, he was heard feebly to remark 
that there was " very little meat for the mustard." 

He died on the 3d of May, 1845, an( ^ on a J u ty 
day nine years later Monckton Milnes unveiled the 
monument which stands above his grave in Kensal 
Green Cemetery. Beneath the bust there runs the 
legend, " He sang the Song of the Shirt," and on 

134 



Bistinguisbefc /IDen anfc Women 

either side of the pedestal are bas-relief medallions of 
" Eugene Aram's Dream " and " The Bridge of 
Sighs " — all pertinent reminders of the fact that 
there was a serious as well as a humorous side to the 
genius of Hood. He himself, there can be no doubt, 
would have elected to live by his serious verse. 

Hooker (Richard, eminent English clergyman), 
1553-1600. "Good Doctor, God has heard my 
daily petitions, for I am at peace with all men, and 
he is at peace with me; and from which blessed as- 
surance I feel that inward joy which this world can 
neither give nor take away" 

Some say his last words were, " My days are past 
as a shadow that returns not." 

Hooper (John, Bishop of Gloucester and later 
Bishop of Worcester in commendam) , about 1495- 
1555. "If you love my soul, away with it!" 

In January, 1555, he was condemned on three 
charges: for maintaining the lawfulness of clerical 
marriage, for defending divorce and for denying 
transubstantiation. He called the mass " the iniquity 
of the devil." He was sentenced to die at the stake 
in Gloucester, whither he was conveyed. He met his 
death firmly and cheerfully. To a friend bewailing 
his lot, the martyr replied in the oft-quoted words, 
" Death is bitter, and life is sweet, but alas ! consider 
that death to come is more bitter, and life to come is 
more sweet." In another conversation he said, " I 
am well, thank God; and death to me for Christ's 

135 



Xast TOorfcs ot 

sake is welcome/' His martyrdom was witnessed by 
a large throng of people. The martyr was forbidden 
to address the crowd. A real or pretended pardon 
being promised if he would recanc, he spurned it 
away, saying, " If you love my soul, away with it." 
His agony was greatly prolonged and increased by 
the slow progress of the fire on account of the green 
faggots, which had to be rekindled three times before 
they did their work. 
Rev. D. S. S chaff in the Religious Encyclopedia. 

Some authorities say Bishop Hooper's last words 
were, " Good people, give me more fire." Other au- 
thorities have it, " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 

Hopkins (Rev. Samuel, D. D., distinguished 
theologian and controversialist: founder of the so- 
called " Hopkinsian Theology "), 1721-1803. " My 
anchor is well cast, and my ship, though weather- 
beaten, will outride the storm." 

Hotman (William, Revolutionary soldier and pa- 
triot, the record of whose noble and courageous spirit 
is preserved upon a grave-stone at Groton, Con- 
necticut), -1 78 1. " We will endeavor to crawl to 
this line; we will completely wet the powder with our 
blood; thus will we, with the life that remains in us, 
save the fort and the magazine, and perhaps a few 
of our comrades who are only wounded! " 

The entire inscription upon the stone reads thus : 
" On the 20th of October, 1781, four thousand 
English fell upon this town with fire and sword — 

136 



Bfsttnouisbet) /H>en an& Women 

seven hundred Americans defended the fort for a 
whole day, but in the evening about four o'clock, it 
was taken. The commander declined delivering up 
his sword to an Englishman, who immediately 
stabbed him! All his comrades were put to the 
sword. A line of powder was laid from the magazine 
of the fort to be lighted to blow the fort up into the 
air. William Hotman, who lay not far distant, 
wounded by three stabs of a bayonet in his body, 
beheld it, and said to one of his wounded friends, 
who was still alive, ' We will endeavor to crawl to 
this line; we will completely wet the powder with 
our blood; thus will we, with the life that remains 
in us, save the fort and the magazine, and perhaps a 
few of our comrades who are only wounded ! ' He 
alone had strength to accomplish this noble design. 
In his thirtieth year he died on the powder which 
he overflowed with his blood. His friend, and seven 
of his wounded companions, by that means had their 
lives preserved. Here rests William Hotman/ ' 

Hough (John, Bishop of Oxford, afterward 
Bishop of Worcester), 1651-1743. " We part to 
meet again, I hope, in endless joys" to some friends 
who were with him at the time of his death. 

Houston (Samuel, known as " Sam," com- 
mander-in-chief of the Texan army and " Hero of 
San Jacinto," President of Texas, and, after annexa- 
tion, United States Senator), 1793- 1862. " Texas! 

137 



2Last WLovbs ot 

Texas!" — after a pause, he faintly breathed the 
name of his wife, " Margaret" and passed away. 

Howard (William, Viscount Stafford. Having 
been accused by Titus Oates of complicity in the 
Popish Plot, he was convicted of treason and exe- 
cuted December 29th, 1680. It is believed that he 
was innocent), 1612-1680. " / do forgive you." 

Having embraced and taken leave of his friends, 
he knelt down and placed his head on the block: 
the executioner raised the axe high in the air, but 
(then checking himself suddenly lowered it. Stafford 
raised his head and asked the reason for the delay. 
The executioner said he waited the signal. " I shall 
make no sign," he answered; " take your own time." 
The executioner asked his forgiveness. " I do for- 
give you," replied Stafford, and placing his head 
again in position, at one blow it was severed from 
his body. — Bell's " Chapel and Tower" 

Howard (John, distinguished philanthropist), 
1 726- 1 790. "Suffer no pomp at my funeral, nor 
monumental inscription where I am laid. Lay me 
quietly in the earth and put a sun-dial over my grave, 
and let me be forgotten." 1 

1 Tacitus said, "At my funeral let no tokens of sorrow be 
seen, no pompous mockery of woe. Crown me with chaplets, 
strew flowers on my grave, and let my friends erect no vain 
memorial to tell where my remains are lodged." 

Ludovious Cortesius, a rich lawyer at Padua, commanded 
by his last will, that no man should lament; but, as at a 

138 



Bistinguisbefc /IDen an& TKHomen 

A rude obelisk is erected over his grave, bearing 
the brief Latin inscription, " Vixet propter alios " — 
he lived for the good of others. 

He may have lived for others but it is recorded of 
him that he was a tyrant in his own house ; that his 
cruel treatment caused the death of his wife ; and that 
he was in the habit of punishing his only son with 
the greatest severity. Dr. Forbes Winslow thinks 
Howard was insane, and there is much to justify that 
opinion. 

Hull (Isaac, commodore), 1775-1843. "I 

strike my Hag." 

Humbert I. (King of Italy), 1844-1900. " It is 

nothing." These words were spoken as he sank into 
the arms of his aide, upon receiving the third bullet 
from the revolver of the assassin Bressi, at Monza, 
where he attended a gymnastic fete and distributed 
prizes. 

" The King at once took his place on the platform 
amid the tumultuous cheering of the people. He 
wore civilian attire, and appeared to be in excellent 
health and spirits. In distributing the prizes, his 



wedding, music and minstrels to be a delight to the people, 
should be provided ; and instead of black mourners, he ordered 
that twelve virgins clad in green should carry him to the 
church. 

The Hon. T. G. Shearman wrote in his diary (read at his 
funeral in Plymouth church, Brooklyn, N. Y.) under date 
of May 21, 1894 : " Give me an unostentatious, cheery funeral, 
in no darkened room, and with no dreariness of any kind." 

139 



Xast TOor&s of 



Majesty made a speech which he concluded by 
saying : 

" * It gives me great pleasure to be among my 
own people after so long an absence from Monza.' 

" These, as it proved, were the last words King 
Humbert uttered publicly. The distribution of the 
prizes ended at 10:30 o'clock, and on leaving the 
platform the King entered the first of the two four- 
wheeled court carriages that were waiting. He sat 
on the right of Lieut.-Gen. Ponziovaglia, his chief 
aide. 

" As the carriage began to move the members of 
the various gymnastic societies gathered round and 
cheered the King enthusiastically. His Majesty, 
smiling and acknowledging the demonstration, 
brought the carriage to a temporary halt. 

" It was beginning to start again when three re- 
volver shots rang out, startling every one. The 
horses were frightened and began to rear, and almost 
simultaneously the people saw that the King had 
fallen into the arms of his aides, bleeding from his 
neck and breast. 

" The murderer was instantly recognized and the 
enraged people fell upon him with the evident inten- 
tion of killing him. He was kicked, cuffed and beaten 
with canes. He would not have escaped alive if 
carbiniers and members of the fire brigade had not 
rushed through the crowd and seized the culprit. 
They formed a cordon round him and conveyed him 
to jail amid the execrations of the crowd. 

140 



Btetingutebefc ZlDen anfc Momen 

" Meantime the King was taken with all speed to 
the royal castle, while the second carriage was sent 
to the local hospital for surgeons. Before these 
could reach the castle the King had died. 

" Upon receiving the terrible news the Archbishop 
of Milan hastened to Monza and solemnly blessed the 
corpse. 

" Each of the three bullets had hit the King. One 
struck him on the left collarbone, another between 
the fifth and sixth ribs on the right side, while 
the one that inflicted the fatal wound entered the 
heart. 

" As he fell the King said to his aide : ' It is noth- 
ing.' These were the last words he uttered, and he 
was dead when the carriage arrived at the palace. 

" The body was borne tenderly up a long flight of 
steps and carried into a chamber and placed on a bed. 
The King's eyes were open, but he gave no sign of 
life. The Queen threw herself on the body of her 
husband, alternately calling to him in tones, filled 
with anguish, and praying the doctors to tell her the 
truth. When they were convinced that the King 
was dead the Queen submitted to be led gently away. 
The surgeons then removed the King's clothing and 
examined his wounds. The Queen afterward re- 
turned and kept her vigil beside the body, praying 
until a late hour. 

" Bystanders say the assassin rushed through the 
crowd and raised the revolver. Several attempted 
to seize the weapon, but Bressi fired before they could 

141 



Xast TOorfcs of 

do so. He was captured with the smoking revolver 
still in his hand, and exultingly admitted his guilt." 

Carriere Delia Sera. 

Humboldt (Friedrich Heinrich Alexander, 
Baron von, author of the "Cosmos"), 1769-1859. 
" How grand the sunlight! It seems to beckon earth 
to heaven" 

Hunt (James Henry Leigh, English poet and 
litterateur), 1784- 1859. "Deep dream of peace" 

Hunter (William, a young man of nineteen, 
burned at the stake for his faith, in the time of Mary 
L, of England), 1536-1555. "Lord, Lord, Lord, 
receive my spirit! " 

" William said to his mother : — ' For my little pain 
which I shall suffer, which is but a short braid, 
Christ hath promised me, mother (said he), a crown 
of joy ; may you not be glad of that, mother? ' With 
that his mother kneeled down on her knees, saying, 
' I pray God strengthen thee, my son, to the end ; yea, 
I think thee as well-bestowed as any child that ever 
I bare.' 

" Then William Hunter plucked up his gown and 
stepped over the parlor groundsel and went forward 
cheerfully; the sheriff's servants taking him by one 
arm and his brother by another. And thus going in 
the way, he met with his father according to his 
dream, and he spake to his son saying, ' God be with 
thee, son William ; ' and William said, * God be with 

142 



Dtstinguisbefc flDen anfc Momen 

you, good father, and be of good comfort ; for I hope 
we shall meet again when we shall be merry.' His 
father said, ' I hope so, William/ and so departed. 
So William went to the place where the stake stood, 
even according to his dream, where all things were 
very unready. Then William took a wet broom fag- 
got, and kneeled down thereon, and read the fifty- 
first Psalm till he came to these words, ' The sacrifice 
of God is a contrite spirit; a contrite and a broken 
heart, O God, thou wilt not despise ! ' 

" Then said the sheriff, ' There is a letter from the 
Queen. If thou wilt recant thou shalt live; if not, 
thou shalt be burned.' ' No,' quoth William, ' I will 
not recant, God willing.' Then William rose and 
went to the stake, and stood upright to it. Then 
came one Richard Ponde, a bailiff, and made fast the 
chain about William. 

" Then said master Brown, ' There is not wood 
enough to burn a leg of him.' Then said William, 
' Good people ! pray for me, and make speed and 
despatch quickly ; and pray for me while you see me 
alive, good people ! and I will pray for you likewise.' 
' Now ? ' quoth master Brown, * pray for thee ! I 
will pray no more for thee than I will pray for a 

dog.' 

" Then was there a gentleman which said, ' I pray 
God have mercy upon his soul! ' The people said, 
' Amen, amen.' 

" Immediately fire was made. Then William cast 
his psalter right into his brother's hand, who said, 

143 



%ast THUorfcs of 

' William ! think of the holy passion of Christ, and 
be not afraid of death/ And William answered, ' I 
am not afraid.' Then lifted he up his hands to heaven 
and said, ' Lord, Lord, Lord, receive my spirit,' and, 
casting down his head again into the smothering 
smoke, he yielded up his life for the truth, sealing it 
with his blood to the praise of God." 

Fox's "Book of Martyrs." 

Hunter (Dr. William, distinguished anatomist 
and physiologist. He is chiefly remembered by his 
" Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus," consist- 
ing of thirty-four plates engraved by the most emi- 
nent artists of the day, with explanations in English 
and Latin), 1717-1783. "If I had strength to hold 
a pen I would write down how easy and pleasant a 
thing it is to die." 

Huntington (Selina, Countess of, an English 
lady, eminent for her piety and munificence), 1707- 
179 1. "" My work is done; I have nothing to do but 
to go to my Father." 

Huss (John, burnt at the stake July 6, 1415), 
1370-1415. When the chain was placed around the 
neck of John Huss he exclaimed with a smile, " Wel- 
come this chain, for Christ's sake ! " The faggots 
having been piled up to his neck, the Duke of Ba- 
varia, in a brutal manner, called on him to recant. 
" No" cried the martyr, " I take God to witness I 

144 



2>istinautebe& /n>en an& XRHomen 

preached none but his own pure doctrines, and what 
I taught I am ready to seal with my blood/' 

Ignatius (surnamed Theophorus, early Christian 
Father, and one of the immediate successors of the 
apostles), — 107. "I am the wheat of Christ; I am 
going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts, that 
I may be found pure bread." These words he is 
said to have uttered when he heard the roaring of 
the lions that were to devour him. 

He had a burning desire for the martyr's crown, 
and went to his death with a shout of triumph. Of 
the same spirit was Germanicus, who actually pro- 
voked the wild beasts to rush upon him, that he 
might at once be delivered from this wretched life 
and receive a martyr's reward. 

Ilitchewski (Alexander Demainowitch, the 
Russian poet). "I have found at last the object of 
my love," a line written by the poet just before his 
death, and found on a table near his bed. The poet 
was haunted all his life by an ideal of womanly 
beauty which he sought in vain among the living, 
and the above line would seem to indicate that he had 
at last found the object of his dreams. It is sup- 
posed that he died from excess of joy at the dis- 
covery. 

Illeppy (Solyman, the Turkish peasant who as- 
sassinated General Kleber), — 1800. " Tayhipl" 
(That is good). 

145 



Xast movbs of 

The assassin suffered death by having the flesh 
burned off his right hand, and by being impaled, in 
which situation he lived one hour and forty minutes ; 
dying without showing any fear, and declaring to 
the last, " that the act which he had done was meri- 
torious, and one for which he should be made happy 
in the other world." He continued exclaiming, from 
the moment of his hand being burnt, to that of his 
death, " Tay hip!" — The Percy Anecdotes. 

Ingersoll (Robert Green, an American lawyer 
and orator, distinguished as an opponent of Chris- 
tianity), 1833-1899. " 0, better," in response to his 
wife's question, " How do you feel now? " 

After the war he became an ardent Republican, 
and gained fame as a lawyer, serving as attorney- 
general of Illinois for several years. He was a dele- 
gate to the National Republican convention of 1876, 
when he became famous as an orator by proposing 
the name of James G. Blaine for President in his cele- 
brated " Plumed Knight " speech. He was offered 
the post of minister to Germany, but refused it. 
About the year 1877 he removed to New York, and 
was soon in great demand as a lecturer and orator. 
Among his most celebrated cases was his defense of 
the " Star route conspirators " in 1883. 

Some of the most beautiful of Col. Ingersoll's 
orations were those that he delivered over the bodies 
of his friends. Among his best known books are 
" The Gods," 1878, " Ghosts," 1879, " Some Mis- 

146 



SHstingufsbefc flBen an& Women 

takes of Moses," 1879, and several volumes of 
lectures. 

Irving (Rev. Edward, an able and eccentric 
preacher, and the founder of the " Catholic Apostolic 
Church"), 1 792- 1 834. "If I die, I die unto the 
Lord. Amen. 3 ' Some say his last words were: 
" In life and in death, I am the Lord's." 

Irving (Washington, distinguished American au- 
thor), 1 783- 1 859. "I must arrange my pillows for 
another weary night," said on retiring. A moment 
later he tried to say something more but could pro- 
nounce only the word " end," after which he uttered 
a slight cry as of pain, and fell to the floor. When 
the physician arrived life was extinct. 

It was on November 28th, 1859, when Irving was 
seventy-six years old, that his death came. He had 
been in poor health for some months, suffering much 
from sleeplessness and a shortness of breath, but at 
the last a weakness of the heart brought the sudden 
end. Lacking to-day a man of letters who holds 
such a place in the affections of his countrymen as 
Irving held, it is difficult for us to realise the im- 
pression made by his death. It was as if a President 
or a great soldier had died in these later years. 
Flags on shipping and buildings in New York flew 
at half-mast, and the Mayor and Council recognised 
the event as a public grief. A multitude of people 
bore witness to their own sense of loss at the Sleepy 
Hollow Cemetery. The day of the funeral, Decem- 

147 



%ast Worfcs of 

ber 1st, had the fullest beauty and suggestion of 
Indian summer — " one of his own days/' the people 
said. It is to Longfellow, 

" No singer vast of voice ; yet one who leaves 
His native air the sweeter for his song," 

that we instinctively turn for the words : 

IN THE CHURCHYARD AT TARRYTOWN. 

Here lies the gentle humorist, who died 
In the bright Indian summer of his fame! 
A simple stone, with but a date and name, 
Marks his secluded resting-place beside 

The river that he loved and glorified. 
Here in the autumn of his days he came, 
But the dry leaves of life were all aflame 
With tints that brightened and were multiplied. 

How sweet a life was his; how sweet a death! 
Living, to wing with mirth the weary hours, 
Or with romantic tales the heart to cheer; 

Dying, to leave a memory like the breath 
Of summers full of sunshine and of showers, 
A grief and gladness in the atmosphere. 

Isaiah (spelled in the New Testament Esaias 
which means " salvation of Jehovah." He is the 
greatest of the Hebrew Prophets, and his poetical 
genius is ranked with that of Homer), b. c. 765- 
660. " Go ye to the country of Tyre and Sidon, 
for the Lord hath mixed the cup for me alone" 

There is a tradition that the prophet Isaiah suf- 
fered martyrdom by a saw. The ancient book en- 
titled, " The Ascension of Isaiah the Prophet, " 
accords with the tradition. It says : " Then they 
seized Isaiah the son of Amos and sawed him with 

148 



S>isttn0utsbefc Hbcn anfc Women 

a wooden saw. And Manasseh, Melakira, the false 
prophets, the princes and the people, all stood look- 
ing on. But he said to the prophets who were with 
him before he was sawn, ' Go ye to the country of 
Tyre and Sidon, for the Lord hath mixed the cup 
for me alone.' Neither while they were sawing him 
did he cry out nor weep, but he continued address- 
ing himself to the Holy Spirit until he was sawn 
asunder." 

Jackson (Thomas Jonathan, " Stonewall Jack- 
son/' distinguished Confederate general), 1824- 
1863. " Let us go over the river, and sit under the 
refreshing shadow of the trees" 

He was accidentally shot and mortally wounded 
by his own soldiers, in the darkness of night. His 
last words were spoken in delirium. 

James II. (of England), 1633-1701. "Grateful 
— in peace!" Louis XIV. visited James II. when 
the latter was upon his death-bed, and moved, no 
doubt, by pity, said to him in the presence of cour- 
tiers who ill concealed their surprise : " I come to 
tell Your Majesty, that whenever it shall please 
God to take you from us, I will be to your son 
what I have been to you, and will acknowledge him 
as King of England, Scotland and Ireland." James 
was so near death that he was hardly sensible of 
what was said to him, but it was thought he mur- 
mured with much that was irrelevant the words, 
" Grateful — in peace ! " 

149 



Xast Morfcs of 

The final disposition of the remains of James II. 
is involved in some uncertainty. Stanley in His- 
torical Memorials of Westminster Abbey says: 
" The body had been placed in the Chapel of the 
English Benedictines at Paris, and deposited there 
in the vain hope that, at some future time, they 
would be laid with kingly pomp at Westminster 
among the graves of the Plantagenets and Tudors." 
Clarke, in his Life of James II. says that at his 
burial the rites of the Church of England were not 
used, but this is contradicted by the account pre- 
served in Herald's College. The King's brains, it 
is said, were deposited in an urn of bronze-gilt stand- 
ing upon the monument raised to him in the Chapel 
of the Scotch College in the Rue des Fosses Saint 
Victor. This, according to a correspondent of the 
Notes and Queries, Vol. ii, p. 281, was " smashed, 
and the contents scattered about during the French 
Revolution." Pettigrew, in his Chronicles of the 
Tombs, says : " It is conjectured that portions of 
the King's body were collected together, and en- 
tombed at St. Germain en Laye, soon after the 
termination of the war in 18 14; but it being neces- 
sary to rebuild the church, the remains were ex- 
humed and re-interred in 1824." 

The following curious account was given in 1840 
by Mr. Fitzsimmons, an Irish gentleman upward 
of eighty years of age, who taught French and Eng- 
lish at Toulouse and claimed to be a runaway monk : 

" I was a prisoner in Paris, in the convent of the 

150 



Btetinguisbefc jflDen anb Women 

English Benedictines in the Rue St. Jacques, during 
part of the Revolution. In the year 1793 or 1794, 
the body of King James II. of England (died 1701) 
was in one of the chapels there, where it had been 
deposited some time, under the expectation that it 
would one day be sent to England for interment 
in Westminster Abbey. It had never been buried. 
The body was in a wooden coffin, inclosed in a 
leaden one; and that again inclosed in a second 
wooden one, covered with black velvet. While I 
was a prisoner the sans-culottes broke open the 
coffins to get at the lead to cast into bullets. The 
body lay exposed nearly a whole day. It was 
swaddled like a mummy, bound tight with garters. 
The sans-culottes took out the body, which had 
been embalmed. There was a strong smell of vine- 
gar and camphor. The corpse was beautiful and 
perfect. The hands and nails were very fine. I 
moved and bent every finger. I never saw so fine a 
set of teeth in my life. A young lady, a fellow 
prisoner, wished much to have a tooth; I tried to 
get one out for her, but could not, they were so 
firmly fixed. The feet also were very beautiful. 
The face and cheeks were just as if he were alive. 
I rolled his eyes; the eye-balls were perfectly firm 
under my finger. The French and English prisoners 
gave money to the sans-culottes for showing the 
body. The trouserless crowd said he was a good 
sans-culotte, and they were going to put him into a 
hole in the public churchyard like other sans-culottes ; 

151 



Xast TKHorfcs of 

an3 Ee was carried away, but where the body was 
thrown I never heard. King George IV. tried all 
in his power to get tidings of the body, but could 
not. Around the chapel were several wax moulds 
of the face hung up, made probably at the time of 
the king's death, and the face of the corpse was 
very like them. The body had been originally kept 
at the palace of St. Germain, from whence it was 
brought to the convent of the Benedictines. ,, 

James V. (of Scotland), 1512-1542. "It came 
with a lass, and it will go with a lass." He referred 
to the Scotch crown. 

Jefferson (Thomas, third President of the 
United States), 1743- 1826. " I resign my spirit to 
God, my daughter to my country" 

His death was very remarkable: it occurred on 
July 4, 1826, while the nation was celebrating the 
fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independ- 
ence, which he had written. On the same day, 
and almost at the same hour, John Adams, the 
second President, who had signed with him the 
Declaration, died in New England. 

Jerome (of Prague, the companion of John 
Huss, was born at Prague in the latter half of the 
fourteenth century, and suffered at the stake, May 
30, 141 6). "Bring thy torch hither; do thine office 
before my face; had I feared death I might have 
avoided it." These brave words were addressed to 

152 



H>istingutsbe& flDen ant) OTomen 

the executioner who was about to kindle the fire 
behind him. Some give his last words thus : " This 
soul in flames I offer, Christ, to thee." 

Jewell or Jewel (John, Bishop of Salisbury), 
1 522- 1 57 1. " This day let me see the Lord Jesus" 

Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc, surnamed " the 
Maid of Orleans," burned at the stake May 31, 
1 43 1, in the twenty-first year of her age. "The 
Virgin-Martyr of French Liberty"), 1410-1431. 
u Jesus! Jesus! " 

She died declaring that her " voices " had not de- 
ceived her, and with the name of Jesus on her lips. 

Johnson (Dr. Samuel, " Colossus of English 
literature"), 1709-1784. " God bless you, my 
dear! " to Miss Morris. 

Joseph II. (of Germany), 1741-1790. "Let my 

epitaph be, Here lies Joseph, who was unsuccess- 
ful in all his undertakings" 

Josephine (Marie Joseph Rose Tascher de la 
Pagerie, wife of Napoleon I. of France), 1763- 
1 8 1 4. " Napoleon ! Elba I Marie Louise ! " 

Judson (Adoniram, missionary to Burmah and 
translator of the Bible into the language of that 
country), 1788-1850. "Brother Ranney, will you 
bury me? bury me? — quick! quick!" These words 
were prompted perhaps by the thought of burial at 

153 



Xast moxte of 

sea. A moment later he said to his servant, " Take 
care of poor mistress," meaning Mrs. Judson. 

Judson (Mrs. Ann Hasseltine, wife of Adoniram 
Judson, and with him a missionary in Burmah), 
1 789- 1 826. " i" feel quite well, only very weak" 

Jugurtha (an African prince carried in chains 
to Rome where he was cast into the Mamertine 
prison and starved to death). " Heracles, how cold 
your bath is! " Jugurtha referred to the cold and 
dark prison into which he was plunged as into an icy 
bath. " Heracles " is the ordinary Greek interjec- 
tion, and is not here an address to a god. Long- 
fellow in his little poem " Jugurtha," has substituted, 
it is hard to say by what authority, the name of 
Apollo for that of Heracles : 

How cold are thy baths, Apollo! 
Cried the African monarch, the splendid, 

As down to his death in the hollow 
Dark dungeons of Rome he descended, 
Uncrowned, unthroned, unattended; 

How cold are thy baths, Apollo! 

How cold are thy baths, Apollo! 
Cried the Poet, unknown, unbefriended, 

As the vision, that lured him to follow, 
With the mist and the darkness blended, 
And the dream of his life was ended; 

How cold are thy baths, Apollo! — Longfellow. 

The Jugurthine war, which was terminated b. c. 
106, is the subject of one of the histories of Sallust. 

154 



Distinautebefc jfl&en an£> Women 

Julian (Julianus Flavius Claudius, surnamed 
" The Apostate," on account of his renunciation of 
Christianity. He was Roman emperor from 361 
*° 363 )> 33 J -363. "Thou hast conquered, Gali- 
lean! thou hast conquered! " Some authorities give 
his last words thus : " Sun, thou hast betrayed me ! " 
Julian was a worshipper of the sun. 

And Julian being carried to his tent, he took a 
handful of the blood which flowed from his wound, 
and flung it into the air, exclaiming with his last 
breath, " Thou hast conquered, O Galilean ! thou 
hast conquered!" Then the demons received his 
parting spirit. — Mrs. Jameson. 

The historian, Ammianus Marcellinus, who was 
in the army of Julian, states that when he was 
wounded his admirers compared the scene that fol- 
lowed in his tent to that which Plato has drawn in 
the prison of Socrates; not without the confession 
that it was an affected imitation. This testimony 
is preferable to the imaginary pictures of Christian 
orators of the apostate clutching the sand and cry- 
ing, " O Galilean, thou hast conquered ! " The real 
triumph of Christianity needs no such melodramatic 
inventions conceived in the spirit of an age of ornate 
rhetoric. — Smith's " Universal History, Hi, 717." 

Kalakaua (David, King of the Hawaiian 
Islands), 1836- 1892. The monarch was unconscious 
of what was going on around him, and seemed to 
be dreaming of his early days. Colonel Baker heard 

155 



Xast Worfcs of 

him murmur something and leaning over the bed- 
side could make out that he was speaking to him- 
self in his native tongue of the oceans and moun- 
tains and natural scenery of Hawaii. 

He died at San Francisco, Cal., while on a visit 
to the United States. 

Kant (Immanuel, one of the greatest of German 
metaphysicians, founder of the Critical or Trans- 
cendental school of philosophy), 1724-1804. "Est 
ist gut" said as he declined a refreshing draught, 
offered him by one who thought he was suffering 
from thirst. 

Keats (John), 1 796-1 821. "I feel the flowers 
growing over me." Some say his last words were : 
" I die of a broken heart." 

The severity of an article written by Gifford in 
review of " Endymion " in the Quarterly Review 
affected the young poet very deeply, and is even said 
to have occasioned the consumption from which he 
died at Rome where he had but just completed his 
twenty-fourth year. 

Over the grave of Keats in the Old Protestant 
cemetery at Rome is the inscription : " This grave 
contains all that was mortal of a young English 
poet, who, on his death-bed, in the bitterness of his 
heart at the malicious power of his enemies, desired 
these words to be engraved on his tombstone : l Here 
lies one whose name was writ in water/ February 
24, 1821." 

156 



Bistinsutebefc flDen an& XKHomen 

In the " Letters and Memorials of Archbishop 
Trench," occurs the following distressing letter on 
the last days of Keats, addressed to Trench by a 
friend in Rome: 

" I have made Severn's acquaintance. He is a 
very fine fellow, and I like him amazingly. My 
only introduction to him was our common admira- 
tion of Keats, whose memory he cherishes most 
affectionately, and of whom he is never tired of 
speaking when he finds one who listens with glad- 
ness. I sat in his studio for hours while he painted 
a design which Keats suggested to him, and all the 
while he was telling me particulars of his last days. 
His sufferings were terrible and prolonged. Shelley 
and Hunt had deprived him of his belief in Christi- 
anity, which he wanted in the end, and he en- 
deavored to fight back to it, saying if Severn would 
get him a Jeremy Taylor he thought he could believe ; 
but it was not to be found in Rome. Another time 
(which is to me peculiarly painful, though it shows 
at the same time how little way he had proceeded 
in a particular line of thought), having been be- 
trayed into considerable impatience by bodily and 
mental anguish, he cried, on recovering himself, 
1 By God, Severn, a man ought to have some super- 
stition, that he may die decently.' " 

Ken (Thomas, Bishop of Bath and Wells, author 
of several volumes of sermons and of some very 
beautiful hymns, among which is the famous Doxo- 

*57 



Xast TKaorfcs of 

logy, " Praise God, from whom all blessings flow " 
— the Protestant " Te Deum laudamus"), 1637- 
171 1. "God's will be done." 

Bishop Ken was one of the seven bishops com- 
mitted to the Tower for disobedience by James II., 
but proved his loyalty by refusing to take the oaths 
to William and Mary, and was therefore deprived of 
his bishopric. He was a man of devoted piety, 
expansive benevolence, and great tenderness of 
spirit. — Allibone. 

King (Thomas Star, Unitarian clergyman), 
1 824- 1 864. "Dear little fellow — he is a beautiful 
boy/' This he said of his little son who had been 
brought in to see him. 

Kingsley (Charles, clergyman, novelist, and 
poet), 1819-1875. "Thou knowest, Lord, the 
secrets of our hearts; shut not Thy merciful ears to 
our prayer, but spare us, Lord most holy, God 
most mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, Thou 
most worthy Judge Eternal, suffer us not at our 
last hour, from any pains of death, to fall from 
Thee" — Episcopal "Burial Service" 

In the night he was heard murmuring, " No more 
fighting : no more fighting." Then followed intense 
earnest prayers, which were his habit when alone. 
His warfare was accomplished; he had fought the 
good fight; and, on one of his last nights on earth, 
his daughter heard him exclaim, " How beautiful 
God is ! " The last morning, at five o'clock, just 

158 



Dfstinautebefc flbcn anfc Momen 

after his eldest daughter and his physician, who had 
sat up all night, had left him, and he thought him- 
self alone, he was heard, in a clear voice, repeating 
the Burial Service. He turned on his side after this, 
and never spoke again. 

"Letters and Memoirs of Charles Kingsley," by 
his wife. 

Klopstock (Friedrich Gottlieb), 1724- 1803. 
He died reciting his own beautiful verses, descrip- 
tive of the death of Mary, the sister of Lazarus. The 
Song of Mary was sung at the public funeral of the 
poet. 

Knox (John, Scotch reformer), 1505- 1572. 
" Now it is come/' Some give his last words thus : 
" Live in Christ, live in Christ, and the flesh need 
not fear death." 

Labedoyere (Charles Angelique Huchet de, 
Count and French general " noted for graceful man- 
ners and chivalrous spirit." He was charged with 
treason, rebellion and military seduction, and was 
executed as one of the " authors and instigators of 
the horrible plot which had brought back Buona- 
parte "), 1786-1815. "Above all do not miss me! " 

At half past six in the evening Labedoyere was 
escorted to the plain of Grenelle by a strong detach- 
ment of gen d'armerie. On arriving at the place of 
execution, he knelt down and received the benedic- 
tion of the confessor who accompanied him. He 

159 



Xast Worfcs of 

then rose, and, without waiting for his eyes to be 
bandaged, uncovered his breast to the veterans who 
were to shoot him, and exclaimed, " Above all do 
not miss me ! " In a moment after he was no 
more. 

Christopher Kelly: " The Battle of Waterloo." 

Lacordaire (Jean Baptiste Henri, French eccle- 
siastic celebrated for his funeral orations), 1802- 
1861. "Open to me, God!" 

La Harpe or Laharpe de (Jean Francois, 
French critic and dramatist), 1739- 1803. "I am 
grateful to Divine Mercy for having left me suf- 
ficient recollection to feel how consoling these 
prayers are to the dying" These are his last re- 
corded words, and refer to the prayers for the sick 
to which he was attending, but later he conversed 
with M. Fontanes, and did not die until the next 
day. 

Lambert (John, English teacher of languages 
who suffered as a martyr. His true name was 
Nicholson, but he changed it for greater safety in 
time of persecution), — 1538. "None but Christ! 
none but Christ! " 

After his legs were consumed to the stumps, two 
inhuman monsters who stood on each side of him 
pierced him with their halberds, and lifted him up 
as far as the chain which fastened him to the stake 
would reach, while he raised his half consumed 

160 



DistinguisbeD flDen an& Women 

hands dripping with blood and fire, and said, " None 
but Christ ! none but Christ ! " 

Latimer (Hugh, early English reformer and 
martyr), about 1472- 1555. 

"Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play 
the man; we shall this day light such a candle by 
God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be 
put out." 

Latimer and Ridley suffered martyrdom at Ox- 
ford at the same time, October 16, 1555. 

Laud (William, Archbishop of Canterbury and 
favorite minister of Charles I.), 1 573-1645. " Lord, 
receive my soul," spoken to the headsman as a signal 
to strike. According to some authorities his last 
words were : " I am coming, O ! Lord, as quickly as 
I can. I know I must pass through death before 
I can come to Thee, but it is only a mere shadow — 
a little darkness upon nature. Thou hast broken 
the jaws of death." 

Laud was declared guilty of treason, and executed 
on Tower Hill, January 10, 1645. 

Laurentius (" Saint," a deacon of Rome who 
was roasted alive on a gridiron before a slow fire), 
about a. d. 258. " Assatus est; jam versa et man- 
duca" (I am roasted, — now turn me, and eat me.) 
According to some authorities he said later : " I 
thank thee, O my God and Saviour, that I have been 
found worthy to enter into thy beatitude." 

161 



Xast motto* erf 

Lee (Robert Edmund, distinguished Confederate 
general, and President of Washington College, at 
Lexington, Virginia), 1 806- 1870. " Tell Hill he 
must come up." During his last hours his mind 
wandered, and he was living over again in his dis- 
ordered imagination the military campaign through 
which he had passed. 

His body lies in the mausoleum erected at the 
rear of the College chapel, and beside him are laid 
his wife and his daughter Agnes. Above the tomb, 
and visible from the chapel hall, is Valentine's re- 
cumbent marble figure of Lee the soldier taking his 
rest, with his sword sheathed at his side and his 
martial cloak around him. — White. 

Leo X. (Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici, elected 
Pope March 11, 1513), 1475-1521. "I have been 
murdered; no remedy can prevent my speedy death." 
It is believed that he was poisoned. 

The circumstances attending the death of the 
pontiff are involved in mysterious and total ob- 
scurity, and the accounts given of this event by 
Varillas and similar writers in subsequent times, are 
the spurious offspring of their own imagination. 
Roscoe " Life of Leo the Tenth." 

Leo X. expired upon the 1st day of December, 
1 52 1. The vacillating game he played in European 
politics had just been crowned with momentary suc- 
cess. Some folk believed that the Pope died of joy 
after hearing that his Imperial allies had entered the 

162 



Distingufebefc /©en an& Momen 

town of Milan; others thought that he succumbed 
to poison. We do not know what caused his death. 
But the unsoundness of his constitution, overtaxed 
by dissipation and generous living, in the midst of 
public cares for which the man had hardly nerve 
enough, may suffice to account for a decease cer- 
tainly sudden and premature. 

Symond: " Life of Michelangelo Buonarotti" 

Lieber (Francis, German author, political refu- 
gee, and, later, Professor of History and Political 
Science in Columbia College, New York), 1800- 
1872. 

On the afternoon of the 2d of October, 1872, he 
was sitting quietly, listening to his wife, who was 
reading aloud to him as was her custom, when he 
gave one cry and immediately died. * 

Perry's " Life and Letters of Lieber." 

Lindsey (Theophilus, English Unitarian clergy- 
man), 1 723- 1 808. "No, whatever is, is best," — 
said to a friend who suggested that his fortitude 
sprang from his recollection of the maxim, " What- 
ever is, is right." 

Ligne (Charles Joseph, Prince de, "The Friend 
of Kings," author of " Commentaries on the Art of 



1 It has been thought that Lieber's death was occasioned 
by rupture of the heart. See the last words of Charles 
Sumner and the foot note on his sudden death. See also the 
last words of John Palmer and the account of his death 
appended from the Annual Register. 

163 



Xast TOor&s of 

War." He was a brave and good soldier, but a 
great beau and dandy), 1734-1814. " Back, thou ac- 
cursed phantom! " As he felt the approach of death 
he sprang from a recumbent to a sitting posture, 
and ordered the door to be closed; but finding that 
he could not prevent the last great enemy from 
entering, he gave the phantom battle; and in the 
midst of the conflict he threw up his arms and cried, 
" Back thou accursed phantom ! " In a moment he 
was dead. 

At seventy-two he was still a fop and still a 
gallant. " His delicately malicious and gayly ironic 
wit," wrote Count Ouvaroff, who knew him only in 
old age, " was allied with a sweetness of char- 
acter and an equality of temper that were unparal- 
leled." Gravity only was distasteful to him, and 
he would always turn the conversation with a word 
or a nod from too serious a topic. His pride was 
flattered by the eagerness wherewith the curious 
pointed their finger at him in the street, and he was 
yet anxious to attract the attention which was his 
due. He would walk abroad in the Field Marshal's 
cloak, which became his youthful figure, or, still 
more splendid, he would drive in his gray coach, 
whose white horses were the wonder of all Vienna. 
His happiness had suffered no eclipse; his talk was 
as marvelous as when he astonished the Court of 
Versailles, and not even his wrinkles obscured the 
dazzle of his smile. The best of life had been his, 
and he waited the end in placid content, and it is 

164 



SHstinaufsbefc flDen an& Women 

in his triumph in Vienna, rather than in his cum- 
brous books, that you catch the last glimpse of the 
Prince de Ligne." 

Charles Whibley: " The Pageantry of Life" 

Lippard (George, American author), 1822- 1854. 
"Is this death?" to his physician. 

Lippard wrote a number of sensational novels, 
and a book on " Washington and his Generals." He 
was the founder of the once strong and useful 
Brotherhood of the Union, a secret charitable insti- 
tution. 

Lisle (Sir George, English royalist officer, taken 
prisoner at Colchester, where he was put to death 
August 29th, 1648), — 1648. "I have been nearer 
to you when you have missed me," said to a soldier 
of the squad appointed to shoot him, and who had, 
to Sir George Lisle's request that he would not miss 
or merely wound him, replied, " I'll warrant, sir, 
we will hit you." Lisle thought the distance be- 
tween himself and the firing party was too great and 
he wished the soldiers to come nearer to him. 

Fairfax sullied his victory by an act of great 
cruelty. In a council of war, it was resolved that 
Sir Charles Lucas, Sir George Lisle, and Sir Bernard 
Gascoign, the governors of Colchester, should be 
put to death: but the life of Gascoign was spared, 
on account of his being a foreigner. When the other 
two were brought out to be shot, Lucas gave the 
word to fire, as if he had been at the head of his 

165 



Xast Worfcs of 

own company. Lisle kissed him eagerly after he 
was dead; and desired the executioners to come 
nearer. — The Percy Anecdotes. 

Livingstone (David, distinguished missionary, 
traveler and discoverer), 1813-1873. His last 
words, which are not recorded, were about Chil- 
anebo's village, in Ilala, and the neighboring coun- 
try, and especially about the Luapula. His mind 
wandered, and the questions were often disconnected 
and indistinct, but his last thoughts were of Africa. 
His attendants constructed for him a rude hut, and 
when it was completed they took him into it and 
laid him upon a rough bed — the best they could pro- 
cure. He spoke only once or twice during the night. 
Next day he lay undisturbed. He asked a few 
wandering questions about the country — especially 
about the Luapula. His people knew that the end 
could not be far off. Nothing occurred to attract 
notice during the early part of the night, but at four 
in the morning, the boy who lay at his door called 
in alarm for Susi, fearing that their master was 
dead. By the candle still burning they saw him, 
not in bed, but kneeling at the bedside with his head 
buried in his hands upon the pillow. The sad yet 
not unexpected truth soon became evident: he had 
passed away on the furthest of all his journeys, and 
without a single attendant. But he had died in the 
act of prayer — prayer offered in that reverential atti- 
tude about which he was always so particular ; com- 

166 



Bistinauisbefc flDen an& Momen 

mending his own spirit, with all his dear ones, as 
was his wont, into the hands of his Saviour; and 
commending Africa — his own dear Africa — with 
all her woes and sins and wrongs, to the Avenger 
of the oppressed and the Redeemer of the lost. 

So soon as the death of Livingstone was known 
to his men, they resolved to carry their master's re- 
mains to Zanzibar. Arrangements were made for 
drying and embalming the body, after removing the 
heart and other viscera. For fourteen days the body 
was dried in the sun. After being wrapped in calico, 
and the legs bent inward at the knees, it was enclosed 
in a large piece of bark from a Myonga tree in the 
form of a cylinder; over this a piece of sail-cloth 
was sewed; and the package was lashed to a pole, 
so as to be carried by two men. Jacob Wainwright 
carved an inscription on the Moula tree under which 
the body had rested, and where the heart was buried, 
and Chitambo was charged to keep the grass cleared 
away, and to protect two posts and a cross-piece 
which they erected to mark the spot. 

The remains were brought to Aden on board the 
" Calcutta," and thereafter transferred to the 
steamer " Malwa," which arrived at Southamp- 
ton on the 15th of April. Mr. Thomas Livingstone, 
eldest surviving son of the Doctor, being then in 
Egypt on account of his health, had gone on board 
at Alexandria. The body was conveyed to London 
by special train and deposited in the rooms of the 
Geographical Society in Saville Row. 

167 






last waorfcs of 

In the course of the evening the remains were 
examined by Sir William Fergusson and several 
other medical gentlemen, including Dr. Loudon, of 
Hamilton, whose professional skill and great kind- 
ness to his family had gained for him a high place 
in the esteem and love of Livingstone. To many 
persons it had appeared so incredible that the re- 
mains should have been brought from the heart of 
Africa to London, that some conclusive identifica- 
tion of the body seemed to be necessary to set all 
doubt at rest. The state of the arm, the one that 
had been broken by the lion, supplied the crucial 
evidence. " Exactly in the region of the attach- 
ment of the deltoid to the humerus " (wrote Sir 
William Fergusson in a contribution to the Lancet , 
April 18, 1874), "there were the indications of an 
oblique fracture. On moving the arm there were 
the indications of an ununited fracture. A closer 
identification and dissection displayed the false joint 
that had so long ago been so well recognized by 
those who had examined the arm in former days. 
. . . The first glance set my mind at rest, and 
that, with further examination, made me as positive 
as to the identification of these remains as that there 
has been among us in modern times one of the 
greatest men of the human race — David Living- 
stone/' 

The black slab that now marks the resting-place 
of Livingstone in Westminster Abbey bears this in- 
scription : 

168 



2>fstincmisbe£> men an& Women 

BROUGHT BY FAITHFUL HANDS 
OVER LAND AND SEA, 

HERE RESTS 

DAVID LIVINGSTONE, 

MISSIONARY, TRAVELER, PHILANTHROPIST, 

BORN MARCH 19, 1813, 

AT BLANTYRE, LANARKSHIRE. 

DIED MAY 4, 1 1873, 

AT CHITAMBO'S VILLAGE, ILALA. 

For thirty years his life was spent in an unwearied effort to 
evangelize the native races, to explore the undiscovered 

secrets, 

and abolish the desolating slave-trade of Central Africa, 

and where, with his last words he wrote: 

" All I can say in my solitude is, may Heaven's rich blessing 

come down on every one — American, English, Turk — 

who will help to heal this open sore of the 

world." 

Along the right border of the stone are the words : 

TANTUS AMOR VERI, NIHIL EST QUOD NOSCERE MALIM 
QUAM FLUVII CAUSAS PER S.ECULA TANTA LATENTES. 

And along the left border : 

OTHER SHEEP I HAVE WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD, 

THEM ALSO I MUST BRING, AND THEY SHALL HEAR MY VOICE. 

Blaikie's " Personal Life of Livingstone." 
The late E. J. Glane, who crossed Africa in the 

interest of The Century, makes the following entry 

in his journal : 

July 9. To-day I revisited the tree where Living- 



1 In the Last Journals the date is May 1st ; on the stone, 
May 4th. The attendants could not quite determine the day. 

169 






%ast Worfcs of 

stone died, and in order to guide others to the exact 
spot, in case this tree should disappear from any 
cause, I selected another big tree likely to last many 
years, cleared away two and a half square feet of 
its bark, and in the space marked as follows : " This 
tree is magnetic southwest of the tree where Living- 
stone's remains are buried, and is forty-five paces 
from it." I brought away a bit of the bark of the 
memorable tree — a dead part, so as not to be guilty 
of vandalism. 1 

Livingstone's grave is in a quiet nook, such as he 
himself desired, in the outskirts of a forest border- 
ing on a grass plain where the roan buck and eland 
roam in safety. When I visited the place turtle- 
doves were cooing in the tree-tops, and a litter of 
young hyenas had been playing near by; in the low 
ground outside the hole leading to the cave were 
their recent tracks; they had scampered into safety 
at our approach. 

Locke (John, author of the celebrated " Essay 
Concerning the Human Understanding"), 1632- 
1704. " 0, the depth of the riches of the goodness 
and knowledge of God! " 

Some authorities say his last words were, " Cease 
now ; " to Lady Masham who was reading to him 
a Psalm of David. 



1 The section of the tree containing the inscription made 
by Jacob Wainwright has been brought to England and 
deposited in the house of the Geographical Society. 

170 



BistinGUisbefc /©en an& H&omen 

Longfellow (Henry Wadsworth), 1807- 1882. 
" Now I know that I must be very ill, since you have 
been sent for, 33 said to his sister who came from 
Portland, Me. 

His last written lines (nine days before his death) 
were : 

" Out of the shadows of night, 
The world rolls into light; 
It is daybreak everywhere." 

— The Bells of San Bias. 

Louis I. (Louis le Debonnaire), 778-840. " Huz! 
huz!" 

He turned his face to the wall and twice cried, 
" Huz ! huz ! " (" Out ! out ! " ) and then died. 

Bouquet. 

Louis IX. (" Saint Louis," canonized by Pope 
Boniface VIII. in 1297), 1215-1270. "I will enter 
now into the house of the Lord." 

Some authorities say his last words were " We 
will go to Jerusalem. " 

Louis XIII. (son of Henry IV. and Marie de 
Medicis), 1601-1643. " Well, my God, I consent 
with all my heart/' to his physician who told him 
he had but two hours to live. 

Louis XIV. (surnamed Le Grand, often called 
Louis Quatorze, the most magnificent of the Bour- 
bon Kings), 1638-1715. " Why weep ye? Did you 
think I should live forever ? " then after a pause, " I 

171 



Xast TKHo^s of 

thought dying had been harder/ 3 Some say his last 
words were : " O God, come to mine aid ! O Lord, 
make haste to help me!" 

On Sunday, August 31, towards eleven o'clock in 
the evening, the prayers for the dying were said 
for Louis XIV. He recited them himself in a louder 
voice than any of the spectators; and seemed still 
more majestic on his death-bed than on his throne. 
When the prayers were ended he recognized Car- 
dinal de Rohan and said to him, " These are the 
graces of the Church." Several times he repeated: 
" Nunc et in hora mortis/' Then he said, " O God, 
come unto mine aid; O Lord, make haste to help 
me." These were his last words. The agony was. 
beginning. It lasted all night, and on Sunday, Sep- 
tember 1, 171 5, at a quarter past eight in the morn- 
ing, Louis XIV., aged seventy-seven years lacking 
three days, during sixty-two of which he had been 
a king, yielded his great soul to God. 

Imbert de Saint-Amand. 

Louis XV. (of France), 1710-1774. "Repeat 
those words Monsieur the almoner, repeat them," 
to Cardinal de La Roche-Aymon, who read aloud 
the public apology made by the sovereign to his 
people. 

Some authorities give his last words thus : "I 
have been a great sinner, doubtless, but I have ever 
observed Lent with a most scrupulous exactness; I 
have caused more than a hundred thousand masses 

172 



BtetfnGUtebefc /©en an& Momen 

to be said for the repose of unhappy souls, so that 
I flatter myself I have not been a very bad Chris- 
tian." 

A candle burning in the King's chamber, which 
was to be extinguished at the same moment as the 
life of the King, was the signal agreed on for the 
measures to be taken and the orders to be given as 
soon as he should have breathed his last. The candle 
was put out at two o'clock in the afternoon of May 
10, 1774. Instantly a great tumult, comparable to 
a clap of thunder, shook the arches of Versailles. 
It was the crowd of courtiers leaving the antecham- 
bers of the dead man and noisily hastening to meet 
the new monarch. 

Imbert de 'Saint- Amand: " The Last Years of 

Louis xv r 

Louis XVI. (guillotined by a wild and blood- 
thirsty mob, called the French Republic, the 21st of 
January, 1793), 1754- 1793. "Frenchmen, I die in- 
nocent of all the crimes which have been imputed to 
me. I forgive my enemies; I implore God, from the 
bottom of my heart, to pardon them, and not to take 
vengeance on the French nation for the blood about 
to be shed." 

He was proceeding, when Santerre, who was on 
horseback near the scaffold, made a signal for the 
drums to beat, when the assistants seized the vic- 
tim, and the horrid murder was completed. 

When the king's head was severed from the body, 

173 



Xast TOorfcs of 

one of the executioners held it up by the hair, danc- 
ing at the same time around the scaffold, with the 
most savage exultation. 
Contemporary History of the French Revolution, 

Louis XVII. (second son of Louis XVI. He be- 
came dauphin at the death of an elder brother in 
1789, and was recognized as king in January, 1793, 
by the French royalists and several foreign courts, 
but he was closely confined by the Jacobins. The 
cruel treatment which he received in prison hastened 
his death), 1785- 1795. "I have something to tell 
you." 

Louis XVIII. (Louis Stanislas Xavier), 1755- 
1824. "A King should die standing" 

Louise (Auguste Wilhelmine Amelie, Queen of 
Prussia), 1776-18 10. "/ am a Queen, but have no 
power to move my arms." 

Lovat (Lord Fraser of Lovat, Scottish Jacobite 
conspirator. In the rebellion of 1745 he was de- 
tected in treasonable acts against King George, for 
which he was executed), about 1666- 1747. 

He was beheaded on Tower Hill. On reaching 
the scaffold, he asked for the executioner, and pre- 
sented him with a purse containing ten guineas. He 
then asked to see the axe, felt its edge, and said he 
thought it would do. Next he looked at his coffin, 
on which was inscribed: 

174 



EUstmauisbefc flDen ant> TOomen 

Simon, Dominus Fraser De Lovat. 

Decollat April 9, 1747 

JEtat suae 80. 

After repeating some lines from Horace, and next 
from Ovid, he prayed, then bade adieu to his solici- 
tor and agent in Scotland; finally the executioner 
completed his work, the head falling from the body. 
Lord Lovat was the last person beheaded in England. 
Andrews: " Bygone Punishments" 

Lucan or Lucanus (Marcus Annseus, Roman 
epic poet, nephew of the philosopher Seneca), 38-65. 

Lucan exhibited great apparent serenity at the ap- 
proach of death. After the veins of his arm had 
been voluntarily opened, and he had lost a large 
quantity of blood, he felt his hands and his legs losing 
their vitality. As the hour of death approached, he 
commenced repeating several lines out of his own 
" Pharsalia," descriptive of a person similarly situ- 
ated to himself. These lines he repeated until he 
died: 

"Asunder Hies the man — 
No single wound the gaping rupture seems, 
Where trickling crimson Hows the tender streams; 
But from an opening horrible and wide 
A thousand vessels pour the bursting tide: 
At once the winding channel's course was broke, 
Where wandering life her mazy journey took." 

Winslow: e( Anatomy of Suicide" 

175 



last movbs of 

Lucas (Sir Charles. He commanded the right 
wing of the royal army at Marston Moor, was taken 
prisoner at Colchester, where he was put to death 
August 29th, 1648), — 1648. "Soldiers, fire!" to 
the soldiers appointed to shoot him. 

Lulli or Lully (Jean Baptiste, Italian composer, 
called " the Father of French Dramatic Music"), 
1 633- 1 687. "Sinner, thou must die." In sign of 
his repentance he died with a halter around his neck, 
repeating and, sometimes singing, with tears of re- 
morse, " Sinner, thou must die." 

Luther (Martin, the greatest of the Protestant 
reformers), 1484- 1546. u Yes," in response to the 
question whether he stood by the doctrines of Scrip- 
ture as he had taught them. 

The same man who could scold like a fishwife 
could be as gentle as a tender maiden. At times he 
was as fierce as the storm that uproots oaks; and 
then again he was as mild as the zephyr caressing 
the violets. . . . The refinement of Erasmus, 
the mildness of Melancthon, could never have 
brought us so far as the godlike brutality of brother 
Martin. — Heine. 

Lyttelton (George, first Lord, English states- 
man, author of " Dialogues of the Dead," and " His- 
tory of Henry II"), 1709-1773. " Be good, be vir- 
tuous, my lord, you must come to this," to his son- 
in-law, Lord Valentia. 

176 



SHstinamsbefc /iDen anfc TPdomen 

Macaulay (Thomas Babington, Lord), 1800- 
1859. " I shall retire early; I am very tired/' said 
to his butler, who asked him if he would not rest on 
the sofa. 

His mother resolved to spend the night at Holly 
Lodge. She had just left the drawing-room to make 
her preparations for the visit (it being, I suppose, a 
little before seven in the evening), when a servant 
arrived with an urgent summons. As we drove up 
to the porch of my uncle's house, the maids ran, cry- 
ing, out into the darkness to meet us, and we knew 
that all was over. We found him in the library, 
seated in his easy chair, and dressed as usual; with 
his book on the table beside him, still open at the 
same page. He had told his butler that he should 
go to bed early, as he was very tired. The man pro- 
posed his lying on the sofa. He rose as if to move, 
sat down again, and ceased to breathe. He died as 
he had always wished to die — without pain ; without 
any formal farewell; preceding to the grave all 
whom he loved ; and leaving behind him a great and 
honorable name, and the memory of a life every 
action of which was clear and transparent as one of 
his own sentences. — G. Otto Trevelyan. 

Maccail (his given name has not been preserved, 
a Scots Covenanter who expired under torture in the 
time of Charles II. of England), 1668. He died in 
an ecstasy of joy, and his last words were: "Fare- 
well sun, moon and stars; farewell, world and time; 

177 



%ast Morfcs of 

farewell, weak and frail body; welcome, eternity; 
welcome, angels and saints; welcome, Saviour of the 
world; welcome, God, the Judge of all" 

Machiavelli, or Macchiavelli, sometimes 
Machiavel (Nicholas, a celebrated atheist, and the 
author of "The Prince"), 1469-1530. "I desire 
to go to hell, and not to heaven. In the former place 
I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings, and 
princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks, 
hermits, and apostles." 

Mackintosh (Sir James, philosopher and poli- 
tician), 1765-1832. "Happy!" 

Malherbe (Frangois de, the " Father of French 
lyric poetry"), 1555-1628. "Hold your tongue; 
your wretched style only makes me out of conceit 
with them," to his confessor, who was presenting the 
joys of heaven in vulgar and trite phrases. 

His ruling passion was purity of diction. He 
would destroy a quire of paper in composing a single 
stanza; and it is said that during the twenty-five 
most prolific years of his life he made only about 
thirty-three verses a year. 

Marat (Jean Paul, court-physician, author of 
several scientific works, and later the main promoter 
of the Reign of Terror in France), 1 743-1 793. 
"Help, my dear — help!" As Marat uttered these 
words he fell at the feet of Charlotte Corday, and im- 
mediately expired. 

178 



2>tetin£Uisbe& flben an& Women 

Charlotte, motionless, and as if petrified at her 
crime, was standing behind the window curtain. The 
transparent material allowed her form to be easily 
distinguished. Laurent, taking up a chair, struck 
her a clumsy blow on the head, which knocked her 
to the floor, where Marat's mistress trampled her 
under foot in her rage. At the noise that ensued, 
and the cries of the two women, the occupants of 
the house hastened thither, neighbors and persons 
passing in the streets ascended the staircase and 
filled the room, the courtyard, and very speedily the 
whole quarter, demanding, with fierce exclamations, 
that they would throw the assassin out to them, that 
they might avenge the dead — yet still warm — body 
of the people's idol. Soldiers and national guards 
entered, and order was, in some measure, re-estab- 
lished. Surgeons arrived, and endeavored to stanch 
the wound. The reddened water gave to the san- 
guinary democrat the appearance of having died in a 
bath of blood. — Larmartine. 

The veneration for the monster Marat knew no 
bounds. Hymns were written in his honor. On 
divers stamps he was placed by the side of Christ. 
Men swore by the sacred heart of Marat. The new 
worship was complete, it had prostitutes for god- 
desses, and a man of violence and blood for a martyr 
and a saint. All it yet lacked was to engage in 
persecution; and it failed not in this worthy busi- 
ness. — De PressensL 



179 



%a$t Worfcs ot 

Marcus (of Arethusa), being hung up in a basket 
smeared with honey, to be stung to death by bees, 
exclaimed, 1 "How am I advanced, despising you 
that are upon the earth! " 



a To some of the most distinguished of our race death has 
come in the strangest possible way, and so grotesquely as 
to subtract greatly from the dignity of the sorrow it must 
certainly have occasioned. -<3Eschylus, whose seventy trage- 
dies, to say nothing of his many satiric dramas, have given 
their author an immortal name, was killed by the fall of a 
tortoise on his bald head from the talons of an eagle high 
in the air above him. 

There was a singular propriety in the death of Anacreon 
by choking at a grape stone or a dried grape. The poet 
whose sweetest and most enticing lines celebrate wine and 
love came to his death at the ripe age of eighty-five from the 
fruit of the vine. Agathocles, the tyrant of Syracuse, was 
given by the treacherous Maenou a poisoned toothpick which 
soon rendered his mouth incurably gangrened, and deprived 
him of the power of speech. While in this miserable and 
helpless condition he was stretched upon the funeral pile 
and burned alive. 

Fabius, the Roman praetor, died from the same cause that 
occasioned the death of Anacreon. A single goat hair in 
the milk he was drinking, lodged in his trachea and choked 
him. Chalchas, the soothsayer, outlived the time predicted 
for his death, which struck him as so comical that he burst 
into a fit of most immoderate laughter from which he died. 
Thus also died the famous Marquette, who was convulsed 
with a fatal merriment on seeing a monkey trying to pull 
on a pair of boots. Philomenes was seized with an equally 
disastrous merriment when he came suddenly upon an ass 
that was devouring with greediness the choice figs that had 
been prepared for his own desert. 

Laughter killed the great Zeuxis, of whom Pliny relates 
the story of a trial of skill with the painter Parrhasius. 

180 



BistinGUisbefc flDen an& KHomen 

Margaret (of Scotland, wife of Louis XL of 
France), 1420-1445. " Fi de la vie! qu'on ne m'en 
park plus." 

Margaret was devoted to literature, and, while she 
lived, patronized men of learning and genius. Her 
admiration for the poet Alain Chartier is said to 
have induced her to kiss his lips as he sat asleep one 
day in a chair. Her attendants being astonished at 
this act of condescension, the princess replied that 
" she did not kiss the man, but the lips which had 
given utterance to so many exquisite thoughts." She 
died at the age of twenty-five, before her husband 
had ascended the throne. 
Mrs. Hale's " Sketches of Distinguished Women!* 

Margaret (of Valois, Queen of Navarre and sis- 
ter of Francis I., of France), 1492-1549. "Fare- 
well, and remember me." Some say, upon what 
authority I do not know, that the queen's last words 
were: "I never departed from the true church." 



The former painted a bunch of grapes that were so natural 
a bird endeavored to eat the fruit. Charles VIIL, while 
gallantly conducting his queen into the tennis court, struck 
his head against the lintel and died soon after from the acci- 
dent. 

Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales, was struck by a cricket 
ball, which caused his death. A pig occasioned the death 
of Louis VI., the creature ran under the monarch's horse 
causing it to stumble. But of all strange deaths that of 
Itadach is the strangest. He expired from thirst while toiling 
in the harvest field, because, in obedience to the rule of St. 
Patrick, he would not drink " a drop of anything." 

181 



I 



SLast Mortis ot 

She inclined to the Protestant faith, but Roman 
Catholic writers assert that before her death she ac- 
knowledged her religious errors, and De Remond 
even goes so far as to imply that she denied on her 
death-bed having ever swerved from the standard of 
Roman authority. — Memoir of Margaret, attached 
to the English translation of her Heptameron. 

She was a brilliant writer in both prose and verse, 
and was called the " Tenth Muse." Several authors 
speak of her as " Margaret the Pearl, surpassing all 
the pearls of the Orient." She composed a religious 
work called " Miroir de Tame Pecheresse," which 
was condemned by the Sorbonne, on the ground that 
it inclined to Protestant doctrines. She also wrote 
the " Heptameron, or Novels of the Queen of 
Navarre." 

Marie Antoinette (Marie Antoinette Josephine 
Jeanne de Lorraine, daughter of Francis I., Em- 
peror of Germany, and Maria Theresa, and wife of 
Louis XVI., of France; she was guillotined October 
J 6, I793)> 1 75 5" x 793- "Farewell, my children, for- 
ever. I go to your father." 

The king perished on the scaffold January 21, 
1793. The queen had four children, Marie Therese 
Charlotte, who married the oldest son of Charles X. ; 
the dauphin, Louis, born in 1781 and died in 1789; 
Charles Louis, who died a victim to the brutality of 
the cobbler Simon; and a daughter who died in in- 
fancy. 

182 



2)istinouisbeb /iDen ant) TKHomen 

Martineau (Harriet, English author, and trans- 
lator of " The Positive Philosophy of Auguste 
Comte"), 1802-1876. "I have had a noble share 
of life, and I do not ask for any other life. I see no 
reason why the existence of Harriet Martineau 
should be perpetuated." 

During the last one-and-twenty years of her life, 
death was the idea most familiar and most welcome. 
It was spoken of and provided for with an easy free- 
dom that I never saw approached in any other home, 
yet she never expressed a wish respecting a place of 
burial. But a few days before her death, when asked 
if she would be laid in the burial-place of her family, 
she assented; and she lies with her kindred, in the 
old cemetery at Birmingham. 1 

Maria Weston Chapman. 

1 Her Will, by which her personalty, sworn under iio,ooo, 
is suitably divided among her brothers and sisters, an old 
servant, and a few friends, contains one peculiar provision 
which indicates the desire of the testatrix, even when dead, 
to benefit the living. " It is my desire," she says, " from an 
interest in the progress of scientific investigation, that my 
Skull should be given to Henry George Atkinson, of Upper 
Gloucester Place, London, and also my Brain, if my death 
should take place within such distance of his then present 
abode, as to enable him to have it for the purposes of 
scientific observation." By the second codicil, dated October 
5th, 1872, this direction is revoked; "but," the codicil pro- 
ceeds, " I wish to leave it on record that this alteration in 
my testamentary directions is not caused by any change of 
opinion as to the importance of scientific observation on such 
subjects, but is made in consequence merely of a change of 
circumstances in my individual case." The " circumstances " 

183 



Xast WLovbs of 

Mary (Queen of Scots), 1542-1587. " Lord, 
into Thy hands I commend my spirit." 



alluded to were doubtless these. When the removal of Miss 
Martineau to London took place, the " Burke and Hare " 
murders, and " body-snatching " generally, were the special 
horrors of the day. The only authorized supply of " sub- 
jects " for dissection was from the gallows; and philan- 
thropic persons sought by selling the reversion of their bodies 
(a transaction which, legally, does not hold good), or like 
Jeremy Bentham, leaving them to some institution, or medical 
expert, by a special bequest (also nugatory), to dissolve the 
association of disgrace with the necessary procedure of dis- 
section. The difficulty was, in great measure, relieved by 
the passing of Mr. Warburton's Bill; and hence the necessity 
for such an arrangement as that made by Miss Martineau 
ceased to exist. The singular provision, had however, be- 
come known; and shortly after the execution of the docu- 
ment, the testatrix received a letter from the celebrated 
aurist, Mr. Toynbee, asking her point-blank to bequeath him 
a " legacy of her ears." She had suffered from deafness all 
her life; a large amount of mischief and misery was caused 
by the ignorance of surgeons with regard to the auditory 
apparatus; and this ignorance could only be removed by such 
means as he proposed. The lady to whom this strange request 
was made, says with grim humour, that she felt " rather 
amused when she caught herself in a feeling of shame, as it 
were, at having only one pair of ears, — at having no dupli- 
cate for Mr. Toynbee, after having disposed otherwise of her 
skull." She, however, told him how the matter actually stood ; 
and a meeting took place between the doctor and the legatee, 
"to ascertain whether one head could, in any way, be made 
to answer both their objects." 

An autopsy of her body was eventually made by Dr. T. 
M. Greenhow, of Leeds; a full detail of the appearances at 
which will be found in the British Medical Journal, for April 
14th, 1877, p. 449. — William Bates in " The Maclise Portrait 
Gallery." 

184 



©fsttnguisbefc /iDen anfc OTomen 

The first blow of the executioner inflicted a ghastly 
wound on the lower part of the skull. Not a scream 
nor groan, not a sigh escaped her, but the convulsion 
of her features showed the horrible suffering caused 
by the wound. The eye-witness of the execution, 
whose account is published, thus relates this incident : 
" Thereupon the headsman brought down his axe, 
but missing the proper place, gave her a horrible 
blow upon the upper extremity of the neck ; but, with 
unexampled fortitude, she remained perfectly still, 
and did not even heave a sigh. At the second stroke 
the neck was severed and the head held up to the 
gaze of bystanders with ' God save Queen Eliza- 
beth ! ' " — Meline's " Mary Queen of Scots/' 

When the psalm was finished she felt for the 
block, and laying down her head muttered : " In 
manus, Domine, tuas commendo animam meam." 
The hard wood seemed to hurt her, for she placed 
her hands under her neck. The executioners gently 
removed them lest they should deaden the blow, and 
then one of them, holding her slightly, the other 
raised the axe and struck. The scene had been too 
trying even for the practised headsman of the Tower. 
His arm wandered. The blow fell on the knot of the 
handkerchief and scarcely broke the skin. She 
neither spoke nor moved. He struck again, this time 
effectively. The head hung by a shred of skin, which 
he divided without withdrawing the axe, and at once 
a metamorphosis was witnessed strange as was ever 
wrought by wand of fabled enchanter. The coif fell 

185 



%ast xmorfcs of 

off and the false plaits ; the labored illusion vanished ; 
the lady who had knelt before the block was in the 
maturity of grace and loveliness. The executioner, 
when he raised the head as usual to show it to the 
crowd, exposed the withered features of a grizzled, 
wrinkled old woman. 

Froude's " History of England" 

Mary (Countess of Warwick), — 1678. " Well, 
ladies, if I were one hour in heaven, I would not be 
again with you, as much as I love you." 

She is the author of the famous question : " Why 
are we so fond of that life which begins with a cry, 
and ends with a groan ? " 

Mary I. (Queen of England, commonly called 
" Bloody Queen Mary " on account of her violent 
and cruel persecution of the Protestants), 1517- 
1558. " After I am dead, you will find Calais writ- 
ten upon my heart." 

The loss of Calais just before her death affected 
her deeply. 

Of the first Mary, long and too deservedly known 
by the title of " Bloody Mary/' we confess we can 
never think without commiseration. Unamiable she 
certainly was, and deplorably bigoted. She sent 
two hundred and eighty-four people to the stake dur- 
ing a short reign of five years and four months; 
which, upon an average, is upwards of four a week ! 
She was withal plain, petty of stature, ill-colored, and 
fierce-eyed, with a voice almost as deep as a man's; 

186 



BisUnguisbefc flDen anfc TKHomen 

had a bad blood; and ended with having nobody to 
love her, not even the bigots in whose cause she 
lost the love of her people. 

Leigh Hunt: "Men, Women and Books." 

Mary II. (Queen of England and wife of Wil- 
liam III.), 1 662- 1 694. "My Lord, why do you not 
go on? I am not afraid to die." Said to Arch- 
bishop Tillotson who, reading to her, when she was 
upon her death-bed, the commendatory prayer in 
the office for the sick, was so overcome by grief that 
he was compelled to pause. 

Masaniello (Tommaso Aniello, the fisherman 
of Amalfi, who headed the revolt which occurred in 
Naples in 1647 against the Spanish viceroy, the 
Duke of Arcos. His victory lasted nine days, dur- 
ing which time he had one hundred and fifty thou- 
sand men under arms and at his command. He was 
murdered by his own soldiers), 1623- 1646. " Un- 
grateful traitors! " said to the assassins. 

Mather (Cotton), 1633-1728. "I am going 
where all tears will be wiped from my eyes" to his 
wife, who wiped his eyes with her handkerchief. 

Just before this he exclaimed: " Is this dying? 
Is this all ? Is this all that I feared when I prayed 
against a hard death ? Oh ! I can bear this ! I can 
bear it ! I can bear it ! " 

He was a masterful man, abundant in labors, the 
organizer of over twenty charitable societies, a 

187 



%ast motbs of 

leader of all movements in church and state, an om- 
nivorous reader, and the author of 382 separate 
publications, besides his enormous " Biblia Ameri- 
cana," which remains to this day in manuscript. He 
surmounted the prejudices of his age in defending 
inoculation, but not with regard to witchcraft and 
some other matters. His character was marred by- 
certain restless infirmities ; " it was his unconcealed 
grief that he was never elected to preside over Har- 
vard." His greatest work, " Magnalia Christi 
Americana," 1702, was reprinted in two volumes, 
with memoir, and translations of the numerous He- 
brew, Greek, and Latin quotations, Hartford, 1855. 

Biographical Dictionary. 

Mather (Increase, distinguished New England 
divine), 1639-1723. (e Be fruitful" 

Mather (Richard, celebrated Congregational 
minister in Dorchester, Mass. He was a voluminous 
author), 1596- 1669 "Far from well, yet far better 
than mine iniquities deserve" in response to a ques- 
tion about his health. 

Mathews (Charles, English Comedian), 1776- 
1836. " I am ready" 

Maurice (John Frederick Denison, English di- 
vine and leader of the Broad Church party), 1805- 
1872. " The knowledge of the love of God — the 
blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and 

188 



Dtetingutebefc /IDen an& Momen 

the Holy Ghost be amongst you — amongst us — and 
remain with us forever" 

During the early days of his last sickness he suf- 
fered greatly in mind, but as the end approached the 
sky cleared as after a shower, and his spirit passed 
away under the bright rainbow of hope. 

Mazarin (Jules, cardinal and chief minister of 
France during the minority of Louis XIV.), 1602- 
166 1. " 0, my poor soul, what is to become of thee? 
Whither wilt thou go?" 

Mazarin (Hortense Mancini, sister of the cele- 
brated cardinal), 1647-1699. "Debt!" 

She was so heavily in debt at the time of her death 
that her body was seized by her creditors. 

Maximilian I. (Emperor of Germany), 1459- 
15 19. His last words are not recorded, but just 
before his death he left directions that as soon as he 
was dead all his hair should be plucked out of his 
body, all his teeth should be drawn, and that both 
his teeth and his hair should be burned. His body 
was to be scourged, and then wrapped in quicklime, 
after which, clad in silk and damask, it was to be 
buried under the high altar in such position that the 
priest who said mass should always rest his feet 
above the emperor's breast. His body is entombed 
in Wienerisch Neustadt under the altar as he 
directed. 

189 



%aet moxte of 

Maximilian (Ferdinand Joseph, Emperor of 
Mexico and Archduke of Austria), 1832- 1867. 
"Lotte" His last word would seem to indicate that 
he was thinking of his wife, the unfortunate Car- 
lotta, daughter of Leopold, King of Belgium. 

In 1865 Maximilian was tempted by Napoleon 
III. to act the part of Emperor of Mexico, then partly 
governed by the republican President Juarez and 
partly conquered by the French. He arrived at the 
Mexican capital in June 1864. He issued a decree 
that all who adhered to the republic or resisted his 
authority should be shot. Many prisoners, including 
General Orteaga, accordingly suffered death by his 
order. According to the " New York Evening 
Post " of July 1 st, 1867, ne ordered the enslave- 
ment of the whole laboring population of Mexico. 
The United States refused to recognize him as Em- 
peror, and required Napoleon to withdraw his army. 
Maximilian was embarrassed by want of money, and 
offended the clerical party (which had favored 
him) by refusing to restore the property of the 
Church, which had been confiscated by the Liberals. 
The French troops departed about the end of 1866, 
after which the republicans gained several victories 
and the empire quickly collapsed. Maximilian was 
captured at Queretaro, and shot on the 19th of June 
1 867. — Lip pine ott. 

Melanchthon (Philip. His original German 
name was Schwarzerdt, which he Grecized into 

190 



Bfstinauisbeb /H>en anfc Women 

Melanchthon, or, as he sometimes spelled it Melan- 
thon. Both names denote "black earth"), 1497- 
1568. "Nothing else but heaven'' in answer to a 
friend who enquired if he wanted anything further. 

Mericourt (Anne Joseph Theroigne de, the fa- 
mous "Goddess of Reason" 1 ), 1760-1817. This 
woman's last words were partly reminiscent and 
partly the incoherent ravings of a disordered brain. 
The old scenes rose before her with startling vivid- 
ness. 

" Died, within these few days, in the hospital of 



1 Mile. Maillard, the actress, is mentioned by Lamartine as 
one of the Goddesses, who was compelled to play the part 
much against her will. " Chaumette, assisted by Lai's, an actor 
of the Opera, had arranged the fete of December 20, 1793. 
Mademoiselle Maillard, an actress, brilliant with youth and 
talents, played the part of the goddess. She was borne in a 
palanquin, the canopy of which was formed of oak branches. 
Women in white, with tri-colored sashes, preceded her. At- 
tired with theatrical buskins, a Phrygian cap and a blue 
chlamys over a transparent tunic, she was taken to the foot 
of the altar and seated there. Behind her burnt an immense 
torch, symbolizing 'the flame of philosophy/ the true light 
of the world. Chaumette, taking a censer in his hands, fell 
on his knees to the goddess, and offered incense, and the 
whole concluded with dancing and song." — Lamartine. 

There was also a Goddess of Liberty. The wife of Momoro 
went attended by the municipal officers, national guards and 
troops of ballet girls to the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. 
Gobet (the archbishop of Paris), and nearly all the bishops, 
vicars, canons, priests, and cures of Paris stripped them- 
selves of their canonicals, donned the red nightcap, and joined 
in this blasphemous mockery. 

191 



Xast THIlorfc8 of 

pauper lunatics of Saltpetriere, where she had lived 
unpitied and unknown for many years, the famous 
Theroigne de Mericourt (the Goddess of Reason), 
the most remarkable of the heroines of the revolu- 
tion." — A Paris paper of August i, 1817. 

Metastasio (Pietro Bonaventura, originally 
named Trapassi, but changed to Metastasio, 
" a changing/' in allusion to his adoption by 
the celebrated jurist Gravina, from whom he re- 
ceived a large property), 1698- 1782. After he had 
received the sacrament, and a few minutes before his 
death, the poet uttered with unusual enthusiasm the 
following beautiful stanzas: 

" T'otfro il tuo proprio Figlio, 
Che gia d' amove in pegno, 
Racchiuso in picciol segno 
Si voile a not donar. 

A lui rivolgi il ciglio. 
Guardo chi foffro, e poi 
Lasci, Signor, se vuoi, 
Lascia di per donar." 

I offer to Thee, O Lord, Thy own Son, who already has 
given the pledge of love, inclosed in this thin emblem; turn 
on Him thine eyes ; oh ! behold whom I offer to Thee and 
then desist, O Lord! if Thou canst desist from mercy. 

Mirabeau (Honore Gabriel Riquetti, Comte 
de), 1 749- 1 79 1. " When nature has abandoned an 
unhappy victim, when a miracle only can save his 
life, how can you have the barbarity to let him expire 
on the zvheelf " spoken in support of a request for 
laudanum. 

192 



SHsttnGUtsbefc flben ant* Women 

At daybreak he said to Cabanis : — " My friend I 
shall die to-day. When one is in this situation, 
there remains but one thing more to do, and that 
is to perfume me, to crown me with flowers, to en- 
viron me with music, so that I may enter sweetly 
into that slumber wherefrom there is no awaking." 1 



1 Jeremy Bentham, when he firmly believed that he was 
near his last hour, said to one of his disciples, who was 
watching over him: — "I now feel that I am dying. Our 
care must be to minimize the pain. Do not let any of the 
servants come into the room, and keep away the youths. It 
will be distressing to them, and they can be of no service. 
Yet I must not be alone, and you will remain with me, and 
you only, and then we shall have reduced the pain to the 
least possible amount." 

Bentham dreaded the silence and darkness of the grave, 
and wished to remain even after his death in a world of 
living men. He left his body to Dr. Southwood Smith who 
was to perform certain experiments to ascertain that no life 
remained. After these experiments the following disposition 
was to be made of his remains : " The skeleton Dr. Smith 
shall cause to be put together in such manner that the whole 
figure may be seated in a chair usually occupied by me when 
living, in the attitude in which I am sitting when engaged 
in thought in the course of the time employed in writing. I 
direct that the body, thus prepared, shall be transferred to 
my executor, and that he shall cause the skeleton to be clothed 
in one of the suits of black usually worn by me. The body 
so clothed, together with the chair and the staff in my later 
years borne by me, he shall take charge of, and for containing 
the whole apparatus he shall cause to be prepared an appro- 
priate box or case, and shall cause to be engraved in con- 
spicuous characters on a plate to be affixed thereon, and also 
in the glass case in which the preparations of the soft parts 
of my body shall be contained, as, for example, in the manner 
used in the case of wine decanters ; my name at length with 

193 



Xast WLotbs ot 

Later in the day he uttered these memorable words : 
— " I carry in my heart the dirge of the monarchy, 
the ruins whereof will now be the prey of the 
factions." 

His death, although that of a sceptic, had some- 
thing in it sublime. He was no stranger to his ap- 
proaching dissolution; but, far from being intimi- 
dated by the prospect, he gloried in the name he was 
to leave. Hearing the cannon discharge upon some 
public event, he exclaimed, " I already hear the 
funeral obsequies of Achilles — after my death, the 
factions will tear to shreds the remnants of the 



the letters ob: followed by the day of my decease. If it 
should so happen that my personal friends and other disciples 
should be disposed to meet together on some day, or days of 
the year for the purpose of commemorating the founder of 
the Greatest Happiness System of Morals and Legislation, 
my executor shall cause to be conveyed into the room in 
which they meet the case with its contents." 

Humphry Repton, author of a delightful book on " Land- 
scape Gardening and Landscape Architecture," requested that 
his remains might be deposited in a " garden of roses." He 
selected a small enclosure by the church of Aylsham, in Nor- 
folk, one of the most lovely spots in all England, where were 
a number of roses and vines, as his last resting place. On 
the monument over his grave, after his name and age, are 
these lines written by himself: — 

" Not like the Egyptian tyrants — consecrate, 
Unmixt with others shall my dust remain; 
But mouldering, blended, melting into earth, 
Mine shall give form and colour to the rose ; 
And while its vivid blossoms cheer mankind, 
Its perfum'd odour shall ascend to heaven." 

194 



Bistfnautebefc flDen an& Momen 

monarchy." His sufferings were severe at the close 
of his illness: at one period, when the power of 
speech was gone, he wrote on a slip of paper the 
words of Hamlet, " To die is to sleep." " When a 
sick man is given over, and he suffers frightful 
pains, can a friendly physician refuse to give him 
opium ? " " My pains are insupportable ; I have an 
age of strength, but not an instant of courage." A 
few hours before his death, the commencement of 
mortification relieved his sufferings. " Remove 
from the bed," said he, " all that sad apparatus. In- 
stead of these useless precautions, surround me with 
perfumes and the flowers of spring; dress my hair 
with care; let me fall asleep amidst the sound of 
harmonious music." He then spoke for ten minutes 
with such vivid and touching eloquence, that every 
one in the room was melted into tears. " When I 
am no more," said he, " my worth will become 
known. The misfortunes which I have held back 
will then pour on all sides upon France; the crimi- 
nal faction which now trembles before me will be 
unbridled. I have before my eyes unbounded pre- 
sentiments of disaster. We now see how much we 
erred in not preventing the commons from assuming 
the name of the National Assembly; since they 
gained that victory, they have never ceased to show 
themselves unworthy of it. They have chosen to 
govern the King, instead of governing by him ; but 
soon neither he nor they will rule the country, but a 
vile faction, which will overspread it with horrors." 

195 



Xast TKIlorfcs of 

A spasm, attended with violent convulsions, having 
returned, he again asked for laudanum. " When 
nature," said he, " has abandoned an unhappy vic- 
tim, when a miracle only can save his life, how can 
you have the barbarity to let him expire on the 
wheel ? " His feet were already cold, but his coun- 
tenance still retained its animation, his eye its wonted 
fire, as if death spared to the last the abode of so 
much genius. Feigning to comply, they gave him a 
cup, containing what they assured him was lauda- 
num. He calmly drank it off, fell back on his pillow, 
and expired. 

Alison's " History of Europe/' 

Mohammed (The name signified " the praised/' 
and was assumed by the founder of Islam. He was 
originally called Halabi), about 570-632. " O Allah, 
be it so! Henceforth among the glorious host of 
paradise." Some give his last words thus, " O 
Allah, pardon my sins. Yes, I come, among my 
fellow labourers on high." 

In his last wanderings he only spoke of angels 
and heaven. He died in the lap of Ayeshah, about 
noon of Monday, the twelfth (eleventh) of the third 
month, in the year 1 1 of the Hedyrah (June 8, 632). 
His death caused an immense excitement and dis- 
tress among the faithful, and Omar, who himself 
would not believe in it, tried to persuade the people 
of his still being alive. But Abu Bekr said to the 
assembled multitude : — " Whoever among you has 

196 



Dtetfngufebefc fl&en anfc TOomen 

served Mohammed, let him know that Mohammed 
is dead; but he who has served the god of Mo- 
hammed, let him continue in his service, for he is 
still alive and never dies." 

Chambers' Encyclopedia. 

Montcalm ( Saint- Veran de Marquis), 1712- 
I 7S9- " S° much the better! I shall not then live to 
see the surrender of Quebec," on being told that he 
was dying. 

Montefiore (Sir Moses, wealthy and distin- 
guished Jewish philanthropist), 1785- 1885. " Thank 
God! Thank Heaven!" 

Montezuma II (Montegumatin, "the sad or 
severe man" — the last of the Aztec emperors), 
about 1470-1520. "J confide to your care my be- 
loved children, the most precious jewels I can leave 
you. The great monarch beyond the ocean will inter- 
est himself to see that they come into their inherit- 
ance, if you present before him their just claims. I 
know your master will do this, if for no other reason, 
then for the kindness I have shown the Spaniards, 
though it has occasioned my ruin. For all my mis- 
fortunes, Malinche, 1 I bear you no ill will." Some 
give his last words thus : " And do you think I, then, 
am taking pleasure in my bath? " 

1 Malinche, Montezuma's name for Cortes, was borrowed 
from the original name of the conqueror's mistress and inter- 
preter, known in the Spanish records as Marina. See " Death 
of Montezuma," in Prescott's " Conquest of Mexico.'* 

197 



3Last WLotbs of 

Montfort de (Simon, Earl of Leicester), 1208- 
1265. " Commend your souls to God, for our bodies 
are the foes' ! " To his followers, when he saw the 
advance of the enemy at the battle of Evesham. 

Moody (D wight Lyman, distinguished Ameri- 
can evangelist), 1837- 1899. " I see earth receding; 
Heaven is opening; God is calling me." * 

As the noonday hour drew near, the watchers at 
the bedside noticed the approach of death. Several 
times Mr. Moody's lips moved as if in prayer, but 
the articulation was so faint that the words could 
not be heard. 

Just as death came Mr. Moody awoke as if from 
slumber, and said, with much joyousness. " I see 
earth receding; Heaven is opening; God is calling 
me," and a moment later he had entered upon 
what one of his sons described as " a triumphal 
march into heaven." — New York Times, Dec. 23, 
1899. 

Moore Sir John, British general, whose death 
is beautifully commemorated in an ode by Rev. 



1 The world recedes. It disappears. 
Heaven opens to my eyes. My ears 
With sounds seraphic ring. 
Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly! 
O grave, where is thy victory! 
O death, where is thy sting! 

— Pope : " The Dying Christian to his Soul.' 

198 



EUstingutebefc flDen anb XKaomen 

Charles Wolfe. Byron pronounced this ode the best 
in the English language), 1 1 761-1809. 

He said to Colonel Anderson, who for one and 
twenty years had been his friend and companion in 
arms : " Anderson, you know that I always wished 
to die in this way." He frequently asked, " Are the 
French beaten ? " And at length, when he was told 
they were defeated in every point, he said. "It is a 
great satisfaction to me to know we have beaten the 
French. I hope the people of England will be sat- 
isfied. I hope my country will do me justice." Hav- 
ing mentioned the name of his venerable mother, 
and the names of some other friends, for whose 
welfare he seemed anxious to offer his last prayers, 
the power of utterance was lost, and he died in a few 
minutes without a struggle. — The Book of Death. 

The last words that passed his dying lips were a 
message to Lady Hester Stanhope, the niece of Pitt, 
afterwards so famous for her eccentricity, as her 
father had been before her. To her, to whom he is 
said to have been deeply attached, if not engaged, he 
sent his dying remembrances by her brother, one of 
his aides-de-camp, and then passed peacefully into 
the presence of his God. — Cornhill Magazine. 

1 It has been generally supposed that the burial of Sir John 
Moore, who fell at the battle of Corunna, in 1809, took place 
during the night, an error which doubtless arose from the 
statement to that effect in Wolfe's celebrated lines. Rev. Mr. 
Symons, who was the clergyman on the occasion, states, how- 
ever, in " Notes and Queries," that the burial took place in 
the morning, in broad day-light. 

199 



Xast mot^B of 

More (Sir Thomas, author of " Utopia." He 
succeeded Wolsey as lord chancellor, a dignity never 
before filled by a common lawyer. He refused to 
take the oath to maintain the lawfulness of the mar- 
riage of Henry VIII. with Anne Boleyn, and was 
therefore adjudged guilty of high treason, and con- 
demned to death. He was beheaded July 6, 1535), 
1480- 1 535. " I pray you see me safe up the scaffold; 
as for my coming down, let me shift for myself" 
Some say his last words were these, addressed to the 
executioner, " Stay friend till I put aside my beard, 
for that never committed treason." 

More (Hannah, poet, essayist and moralist), 
1744-1833. "Joy." 

Morris (Gouverneur, American Statesman), 
1752-1816. 

Courageously he had lived, and courageously he 

met the great change, with entire resignation to the 

Divine will. " Sixty-four years ago," he said just 

before his death, " it pleased the Almighty to call 

me into existence — here, on this spot, in this very 

room ; and now shall I complain that he is pleased to 

call me hence? " On the day of his death he asked 

about the weather, and, on being told that it was fair, 

he replied : "A beautiful day, yes, but — 

" ' Who, to dumb forgetfulness a prey, 

This pleasing, anxious being e'er resign'd; 
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day, 
Nor cast one longing lingering look behind ? ' " 

— Diary and Letters of Gouverneur Morris. 

200 



Bisttnauisbefc fli>en anD Momen 

Morton (Oliver Perry, American Statesman), 
1823-1877. "I am dying, I am worn out/' to Dr. 
Thompson who was standing by his bed and holding 
his hand. 

Mothe le Vayer de la (This learned man's 
favorite amusement consisted in the study of dis- 
tant countries), 15 88- 1672. "Well, my friend, 
what news from the Great Mogul? " The question 
was addressed to Bernier, the traveller, who had 
entered his room to bid him an affectionate and last 
farewell. 

Motley (John Lothrop, distinguished historian), 
1814-1877. " I am ill — very ill, I shall not recover" 

About two o'clock in the day he complained of a 
feeling of faintness, said he felt ill and should not 
recover; and in a few minutes was insensible with 
symptoms of ingravescent apoplexy. There was ex- 
tensive hemorrhage into the brain, as shown by post- 
mortem examination, the cerebral vessels being 
atheromatous. The fatal hemorrhage had occurred 
into the lateral ventricles, from rupture of one of the 
middle cerebral arteries. 
l Sir William W. Gull's account of Motley's death. 

Mozart (Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Ama- 
deus, one of the most eminent of musical com- 
posers), 1 756- 1 792. The last words which he ad- 
dressed to Sophie Haibl were, " I have the flavour 
of death on my tongue. I taste death ; and who will 

201 



Xast movte of 

support my dearest Constanze if you do not stay 
with her ? " Later he conversed with Siissmayer 
over the Requiem and was heard to say, " Did I not 
say that I was writing the Requiem for myself?" 
This he said with tears in his eyes as he looked at 
the notes. 

Just before death he demanded to hear again the 
Requiem. Dr. Clossel, his physician, nodded his 
consent. Siissmayer sat down at the piano, Schack 
sang the soprano, Hofer the tenor, Gorl the bass, 
and the dying Mozart the alto. Softly swelled forth 
the ineffable music of the sweet, sorrowful, sacred 
death song. After this the chamber was silent as the 
grave. Only the clock ticked softly on the shelf, 
as it marked the weary hours of the passing night. 
— Condensed from Sill's translation of Rau's Bio- 
graphical Romance of Mozart. 

After all consciousness had gone, still Mozart's 
fancies were busy with the Requiem, blowing out his 
cheeks to imitate the trumpets and drums. Toward 
midnight he raised himself, opened his eyes wide, 
then lay down with his face to the wall and seemed 
to fall asleep. At one o'clock he expired. 

The swelling of Mozart's body after death led to 
the suspicion that he had been poisoned. But there 
was no other ground for the suspicion than Mozart's 
diseased fancies, which gave rise to the most shame- 
ful and unfortunate distrust of Salieri, who, it was 
reported, acknowledged upon his deathbed having 
administered poison to Mozart. All these suspicions 

202 



Dtetfnauisbefc /n>en arib TKHomen 

were fully laid to rest by Carpani in the Biblioteca 
Italiana, 1824. 1 

Muhlenberg (Rev. William Augustus, founder 
of St. Luke's Hospital in New York, and author of 
the hymn, "I would not live alway"), 1796- 1877. 
" Good morning" spoken to a friend who entered 
the room. 

Murphy (Arthur, dramatic author, and trans- 
lator), 1 728- 1 805. He died repeating the lines of 
Pope: 

" Taught, half by reason, half by mere decay, 
To welcome death, and calmly pass away." 

Nadir Shah (Kouli Khan, celebrated Persian 
conqueror), 1688- 1747. "Thou dog!" addressed 
to one of the conspirators who slew him in his tent, 
June 19, 1747. 

When Nadir invaded India in 1739, he arrived 
first at Lahore; where the governor immediately 
surrendered the city to him, and treated him with 
princely honours. At night Nadir, whose only 



1 A common undistinguished grave received the coffin, which 
was then left without memorial — almost forgotten — for nearly 
twenty years; and when, in 1808, some inquiries were made 
as to the precise spot of the interment, all that the sexton 
could tell was that, at the latter end of 1791, the space about 
the third and fourth row from the cross was being occupied 
with graves ; but the contents of these graves being from time 
to time exhumed, nothing could be determined concerning 
that which was once Mozart. — Home's "Life of Mozart." 

203 



Xast TD&orfcs ot 

couch, for months past, had been a horse-blanket, 
with a saddle for a pillow, was conducted to a mag- 
nificent bed, with piles of cushions; and twelve 
young damsels were in attendance to shampoo his 
limbs and fan him to sleep. Nadir started from 
his luxurious couch, roared for his secretary, and 
gave orders that the drums should be beat, and a 
proclamation made that Nadir had conquered all 
India. The astonished scribe ventured to hint that 
this conquest had not yet been accomplished. " No 
matter," said Nadir, " where the chiefs of the people 
choose to live in this effeminate manner, it will cost 
me little trouble to conquer them." And his antici- 
pation was fully verified. After he had taken the 
city of Delhi, he visited the discomfited Emperor, 
who received him in fear and trembling. Nadir 
was seated in the chair of state, and the attar of roses 
and other perfumes were brought, according to cus- 
tom and presented to him. Nadir had not changed 
his clothes or taken off his armor for many days, 
and his person was by no means free from vermin. He 
asked contemptuously what was the use of perfum- 
ing a soldier's garments; and, thrusting his hand 
into his bosom, drew forth a number of lice, which 
he told the astonished Emperor were better com- 
panions than all his sweet scents. Nadir had or- 
dered a splendid mausoleum to be built for himself 
at Mush'hed, in Khorassan ; and on his return from 
India he went to see it. The night before he visited 
his intended resting-place, some unfriendly wag 

204 



S>istm0uisbe& /iDen ant) TOomen 

wrote above the spot destined for his grave — 
" Welcome, conqueror of the world ! your place here 
has long been empty." The wag had in mind 
Nadir's common salutation to a friend who had 
been long absent, " Your place has been long empty." 
Nadir offered a reward for the discovery of the 
writer, but never succeeded in rinding out who he 
was. The place was not long empty, for Nadir was 
assassinated soon after, and here his remains rested 
till they were dug up and desecrated by Agha Mo- 
hammed. 
Welby: "Predictions Realized in Modern Times" 

Nani (Giambattista Felice Gasparo, author of 
" Istaria della Republica Veneta"), 1616-1678. 
11 How beautiful!" 

Napoleon I. (Napoleon Bonaparte), 1 769-1 821. 
" Mon Dieu! La Nation Frangaise! Tete d'armee" 
He died on the island of St. Helena, May 5, 1821. 
In 1840 his remains were removed to France and 
deposited in the Hotel des Invalides. 1 

During the last nine days of his life he was con- 
stantly delirious. On the morning of May 5th he 
uttered some incoherent words, among which 



1 The heart of the first Napoleon had a narrow escape from 
disappearing forever, elsewhere than in the tomb. It is 
recorded that when he died at St. Helena his heart was 
extracted for preservation. The English physician who had 
charge of it placed it in a silver basin containing water, and 
leaving tapers burning beside it retired to rest. Sleep, how- 

205 



Xast Morfcs of 

Montholon fancied that he distinguished, "France 
. . . armee . . . tete d'armee." As the patient 
uttered these words he sprang from the bed, dragging 
Montholon, who endeavored to restrain him, on the 
floor. It was the last effort of that formidable energy. 
He was with difficulty replaced in bed by Montholon 
and Archambault, and then lay quietly till near six 
o'clock in the evening, when he yielded his last 
breath. A great storm was raging outside, which 
shook the frail huts of the soldiers as with an earth- 
quake, tore up the trees that the Emperor had 
planted, and uprooted the willow under which he 
was accustomed to repose. Within, the faithful 
Marchand was covering the corpse with the cloak 
which the young conqueror had worn at Marengo. 

Lord Rosebery. 

Napoleon III. (Louis Napoleon, " The little/' 
" Ratipole," " The Man of Sedan," " The Man of 
December," " Boustrapa," " Badinguet " and " The 
Comte d'Arenenberg"), 1808-1873. "Were you 
at Sedan? " He asked the question of Dr. Conneau. 
It was at Sedan that he surrendered his sword to the 
King of Prussia. 



ever, visited him not, and suddenly, breaking the silence, he 
heard first a rustling, then a plunge in the water of the 
basin, then a fall with a rebound on the floor, all in quick 
succession. Springing from his couch, the physician saw 
an enormous rat dragging Bonaparte's heart to its hole; in 
a few moments more it would have formed a meal for rats. 

206 



EHstittauisfoefc ZlDen anfc TPdiomen 

Nares (Rev. Edward, "Thinks I to myself"), 
1 762- 1 84 1. "Good-bye" 

Naruszewicz (Adam Stanislas, " The Polish 
Tacitus"), 1733-1796. "Must I leave it unfin- 
ished?" He referred to his " History of Poland." 

Neander (Johann August, the celebrated church 
historian. He was of Jewish descent, but early in 
life embraced the Christian faith, and at his baptism 
assumed the name " Neander," from two Greek 
words signifying a new man), 1789- 1850. "I am 
weary; I will now go to sleep. Good night! " 

Nelson (Horatio), 1758-1805. "Thank God, 
I have done my duty" He died in battle. Some 
say his last words were : " Kiss me, Hardy." Others 
give them thus : " Tell Collingwood to bring the 
fleet to anchor." 

His ever-memorable signal to his fleet, immedi- 
ately before the battle commenced, had been ; " Eng- 
land expects every man to do his duty," and if ever 
a man lived and died in earnest, fearless, unselfish 
discharge of his duty to his country, it was Admiral 
Nelson, victor of the Nile, Copenhagen and 
Trafalgar. — Appletoris Cyclopaedia of Biography. 

Nero (Lucius Domitius Claudius Caesar, Em- 
peror of Rome), 37-68. " Qualis artifex pereo!" 

The poor wretch who, without a pang, had caused 
so many brave Romans and so many innocent Chris- 

207 



Xast TOUorte ot 

tians to be murdered, could not summon up resolu- 
tion to die. He devised every operatic incident of 
which he could think. When even his most degraded 
slaves urged him to have sufficient manliness to save 
himself from the fearful infamies which otherwise 
awaited him, he ordered his grave to be dug, and 
fragments of marble to be collected for its adorn- 
ment, and water and wood for his funeral pyre, per- 
petually whining: " What an artist to perish!" 
Meanwhile a courier arrived for Phaon. Nero 
snatched his dispatches out of his hand, and read that 
the Senate had decided that he should be punished 
in the ancestral fashion as a public enemy. Asking 
what the ancestral fashion was, he was informed 
that he would be stripped naked and scourged to 
death with rods, with his head thrust into a fork. 
Horrified at this, he seized two daggers, and after 
theatrically trying their edges, sheathed them again, 
with the excuse that the fatal moment had not yet 
arrived! Then he bade Sparus begin to sing his 
funeral song, and begged some one to show him 
how to die. Even his own intense shame at his 
cowardice was an insufficient stimulus, and he whiled 
away the time in vapid epigrams and pompous quo- 
tations. The sound of horses' hoofs then broke on 
his ears, and venting one more Greek quotation, he 
held the dagger to his throat. It was driven home 
by Epaphroditus, one of his literary slaves. At this 
moment the centurion who came to arrest him 
rushed in. Nero was not yet dead, and under pre- 

208 



BtetinQtusbefc /IDen an& TRaomen 

tense of helping him, the centurion began to stanch 
the wound with his cloak. " Too late/' he said; " is 
this your fidelity? " So he died; and the bystanders 
were horrified with the way in which his eyes seemed 
to be starting out of his head in a rigid stare. He 
had begged that his body might be burned without 
posthumous insults, and this was conceded by Icelus, 
the freedman of Galba. 

Farrar: "Early Days of Christianity." 
It was the remark of Nero's father, Ahenobarbus, 
that nothing but what was hateful and pernicious 
to mankind could ever come from Agrippina and 
himself. Yet the story of a strange hand that 
strewed flowers upon the tomb of this tyrant is well 
known. 

Newell (Harriet, missionary in India), 1793- 
18 12. " The pains, the groans, the dying strife. 
How long, Lord, how long? " 

Newport (Francis, once famous as an opponent 
of Christianity). " Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell 
and damnation!" Died 1692. 

Newton (John, English divine. His early life 
was that of a profligate sailor engaged in the Afri- 
can slave-trade. After his conversion he became the 
friend of the poet Cowper, and with him wrote the 
"Olney Hymns''), 1725-1807. "I am satisfied 
with the Lord's will." Last recorded words. 

209 



Xast Morfcs of 

Newton (Richard, an English divine, founder of 
Hertford College, Oxford), 1676-1753. "Christ 
Jesus the Saviour of sinners and life of the dead. I 
am going, going to Glory! Farewell sin! Farewell 
death! Praise the Lord!" 

Nott (Eliphalet, American clergyman, Presi- 
dent of Union College, Schenectady, N. Y., for more 
than sixty years), 1 773-1866. " One word, one 
word — Jesus Christ! " 

Nourse (Rebecca, a good and brave woman who, 
in the old Puritan-days, suffered as a witch at Salem, 
Mass.), 1 62 1- 1 692. Her last words are not pre- 
served, but it is recorded that just before her death 
she declared her innocence and appealed to the judg- 
ment of Almighty God. The story of her death 
forms one of the saddest of the many distressing 
chapters in the history of early New England. 

Mrs. Nourse was a very devout woman, and prob- 
ably the hardest blow of all was the action of the 
First Congregational Church, of which she was a 
member. The records still preserved read as follows : 

" After Sacrament the elders propounded to the 
church, and it was by unanimous vote consented to, 
that our Sister Nourse, being a convicted witch, and 
condemned to die, be excommunicated, which was 
accordingly done in the afternoon, she being 
present." 

The scene presented on this occasion must have 
210 



2>tetingufsbe& flDen an& Women 

been as impressive at the time, as it is shocking 
to us in the retrospect. The spacious meeting-house 
was filled with people. The sheriff, accompanied by 
his deputy brought in the prisoner, manacled, with 
the chains clanking from her side. The two elders, 
Higginson and Noyes, as the clergy were then called, 
delivered an address over the sorrow-burdened 
form condemning her to eternal punishment. 

Then came the day of execution, July 19, 1692. 
At an early hour the little village was bristling with 
activity. " The devil's angel on earth " was to be 
punished with the death she deserved, and so the 
Puritan maidens attired themselves in holiday dress 
to honor the event. The procession to the gallows 
was a long one, scores of people from the neighbor- 
ing towns and villages taking part. The victim, 
manacled and guarded by the sheriff and his deputy, 
headed the line, while close behind followed troops 
of men and women who laughed, deeming it rare 
sport to see the agonized faces of the terror-stricken 
family as they watched the mother and wife grow 
pale, and tremble as she began the ascent of the 
rocky cliff whose top was crowned with the instru- 
ment of death. It is impossible in words to depict 
the scene of the execution in the horrible colors in 
which tradition has painted it. With firm steps and 
eyes upturned to heaven, the gray-haired woman 
took her place on the drop. Silently the hangman 
tied the rope before the eager waiting assembly; 
then a momentary hush passed over the crowd — 

211 



SLast MorSs of 

the executioner's duty was done. A moment later all 
that was left to tell the story was the body of the 
aged woman swinging gently in the summer wind. 

Seldom has a woman met with a harder fate. Her 
body was thrown with the previous victims into a 
hole in a crevice of the rocks, and hastily covered 
with earth. Then the masses of spectators turned 
homeward, leaving the bereaved family at the home- 
stead uncared for and ignored by their once firm 
friends. 

It is a family tradition that in some way the re- 
mains of Mrs. Nourse were recovered by her hus- 
band and sons and interred in the spot which is now 
pointed out on the estate as her grave. Imagination 
only can recall the details of the event, so sad and 
awful. In the darkness of night the sons hasten 
to the new-made grave, throw off the slight covering 
of earth, and by the feeble light of a lantern discover 
the remains. What feelings of revenge and sorrow 
must have stirred their hearts as they raised their 
mother's soulless frame tenderly in their arms, and 
carried it along through woods and valleys, over 
highways and fields to the homestead, where, on the 
following night, the three pronounced the only burial 
service over the remains, as they lowered the body 
into a newly-made grave in their own consecrated 
grounds, which down through the generations has 
been reverently guarded. 

A beautiful shaft of granite has been erected over 
her grave by her descendants. The monument is of 

212 



Dtstinautefoefc flDen an& Women 

Rockport and Quincy granite, and is eight and a half 
feet high. The base and apex are of Rockport gran- 
ite, and the die of Quincy granite, polished and let- 
tered as follows : 

REBECCA NOURSE. 

YARMOUTH, ENGLAND. 
l62I. 
SALEM, MASS. 
1692. 
O Christian martyr, who for truth could die, 
When all about thee owned the hideous lie, 
The world redeemed from superstition's sway, 
Goes breathing freer, for thy sake, to-day. 

(On the reverse.) 

Accused of witchcraft, she declared, " I am inno- 
cent, and God will clear my innocency." Once ac- 
quitted, yet falsely condemned, she suffered death 
July 19, 1692. 

In loving memory of her Christian character, even 
then fully attested by forty of her neighbors, this 
monument is erected July, 1885. 

Ney (famous French marshal, "The bravest of 
the brave"), 1769- 181 5. "Soldiers — fire!" said 
to the soldiers appointed to dispatch him. 

Some say his last words were : " Comrades, 
straight to the heart, fire ! " While repeating these 
words, he took off his hat, it is said, with his left 
hand, and placed his right hand upon his heart. 
The officer gave the signal with sword at the same 
moment, and the marshal instantly fell dead, pierced 

213 



Xast WLovbs of 

with twelve balls, three of which took effect in the 
head. 

Noyes (John, the martyr). "We shall not lose 
our lives in this fire, but change them for a better, 
and for coals, have pearls/' said to a fellow martyr. 

Oates (Titus), about 1 6 19- 1705. "It is all the 
same in the end." 

Titus Oates was the son of an anabaptist minister, 
but was educated for the Church of England, and 
received an appointment as chaplain in the royal 
navy. He was dismissed in disgrace from the 
navy, and united with the Jesuits. Later he rejoined 
the Church of England, and revealed a pretended 
popish plot, which resulted in the execution and im- 
prisonment of many innocent persons. For this he 
received a large pension, and was granted a resi- 
dence at Whitehall, where he lived until the death of 
Charles II. Under King James he was convicted of 
perjury and publicly whipped. William III. pen- 
sioned him. 

An old acrostic, in a book published by Nat. 
Thompson, the bookseller, " at the entrance into the 
Old Spring Garden near Charing Cross," during the 
reign of Charles II., has this choice description of 
Titus Oates : 

Trayter to God, damn'd source of blasphemy, 
Insect of hell, grand mass of perjury; 
Thorough-pac'd villain, second unto none, 
Unless to Judas (if by him out-done), 

214 



Bistingutebefc ZlDen anb TKIlomen 

Satan's black agent, hell's monopoly, 
Of all that's called sin and villainy; 
Accursed parent of an hell-bred brood, 
Teacher of lies, spiller of guiltless blood; 
England's dark cloud, eclipsing all her glory; 
Satan's delight, and hell's repository. 

O'Carolan, or Carolan (Turlough, famous 
Irish bard and musical composer), 1670- 1738. "It 
would be hard indeed if we two dear friends should 
part after so many years, without one szveet kiss" 
These words were spoken to a bowl of wine which he 
kissed when he was no longer able to drink. 

Oliver (Francois, Chancellor of France), 1497- 
1560. " Cardinal I thou wilt make us all to be 
damned/' to Cardinal Lorrain under whom he had 
condemned to death many innocent men for their 
faith. He fell sick through remorse, and in his de- 
lirium charged Cardinal Lorrain with bringing down 
upon him the wrath of God. 

Orange (William, Prince of, called " William 
the Silent," founder of the Dutch Republic), 1533- 
1584. " 1 do," in response to his sister's question, 
" Dost thou commend thy soul to Jesus Christ? " 

William staggered and fell into the arms of an 
equerry. All crowded round. " I am wounded," 
said William in a feeble voice. . . . God have 
mercy on me and on my poor people ! " He was all 
covered with blood. His sister, Catherine of 
Schwartzburg, asked, " Dost thou commend thy soul 
to Jesus Christ?" He answered, in a whisper, "I 

215 



Xast *rcnort>s of 

'do." It was his last word. They placed him on one 
of the steps and spoke to him, but he was no longer 
conscious. They then bore him into a room near by, 
where he died. — De Amicis: " Holland" 

The assassin was put to death by the Dutch, but 
his parents were ennobled and richly rewarded by 
Philip II. of Spain. Philip had offered a reward 
for the prince's murder, and five separate attempts 
had been made previously to kill him. 

Orleans (Louis Philippe Joseph, Due d', sur- 
named "%alite"), 1747-1793. "They will come 
off better after: let us have done" to the executioner 
who was about to draw off the duke's boots. 

Owen (Robert, socialistic writer and philanthro- 
pist), 1771-1858. "Relief has come" 

Owen (John, English non-conformist divine and 
author, chaplain to Cromwell, Dean of Christ Church, 
Oxford, in 1651, Vice-Chancellor of the University 
of Oxford. He was a man of great ability and de- 
voted piety), 1616-1683. The first sheet of his 
" Meditations on the Glory of Christ " had passed 
through the press under the superintendence of the 
Rev. William Payne ; . . . . and on that per- 
son calling on him to inform him of the circum- 
stances, on the morning of the day he died, he ex- 
claimed with uplifted hands, and eyes looking up- 
ward, " I am glad to hear it; but, O brother Payne! 
the long-wished-for day is come at last, in which I 

216 



Btstmgutsbet) /iDen anfc Momen 

shall see that glory in another manner than I have 
ever done, or was capable of doing, in this world." 
From Quotation in Allibone. 

Paine (Thomas, author of " Common Sense," 
" The Rights of Man " and " The Age of Reason "), 
1 737- 1 809. cc I have no wish to believe on that sub- 
ject: 3 These words were in answer to his physi- 
cian's inquiry : " Do you wish to believe that Jesus 
is the Son of God?" 

There is a dispute with regard to Paine's death. 
Some writers say he recanted and became a Chris- 
tian, while others affirm that he died as he lived — 
an avowed Deist. In his last will and testament he 
says : "I have lived an honest and useful life to 
mankind; my time has been spent in doing good; 
and I die in perfect composure and resignation to 
the will of my creator, God." On the other hand 
some authors say that he was grossly intemperate 
and licentious, and that he discarded Christianity, 
not so much from conviction as from a base desire to 
lead a bad life. 

" In 1802, he (Paine) returned to America and 
resided a part of the time on a farm at New Rochelle, 
presented to him by the State of New York for his 
Revolutionary service. Paine became very intem- 
perate, and fell low in the social scale, not only on 
account of his beastly habits, but because of his blas- 
phemous tirade against Christianity." 

Lossing in " Our Countrymen." 
217 



Xast Morfcs of 

Of Paine's last hours Rev. O. B. Frothingham 
speaks as follows : 

" The truth is, that Paine, though not rich, was in 
comfortable circumstances. He had considerable 
property, which is specified in his will. His sick 
bed was surrounded by friends who ministered to his 
wants, witnessed the firmness and calmness of his 
last hours, and attested the sincerity and sufficiency 
of his convictions. Not even the impertinent intru- 
siveness of the clergy disturbed the entire serenity of 
his death." 

The commonly received opinion, and most likely 
the correct one, with regard to Paine is this which 
we excerpt from Applet on' s Cyclopedia of Biog- 
raphy: 

" His attacks upon religion had exceedingly nar- 
rowed his circle of acquaintance; and his habitual 
intemperance tended to the injury of his health and 
the ultimate production of a complication of dis- 
orders, to which he fell a victim in 1809. The 
Quakers refused to admit his remains among their 
dead, and he was buried on his own farm. Cobbett 
boasted of having disinterred him in 1817, and of 
having brought his body to England; many, how- 
ever, assert that Cobbett did not take that trouble, but 
brought over from America the remains of a crim- 
inal who had been executed." 1 



1 The effects of Mr. Cobbett were sold by auction, in 1836 ; 
and the bones brought forward to be offered for competition. 
The auctioneer, however, refused to put them up; and they 

2l8 



£>tettngtttebe& flDen anfc TOomen 

Palmer (John, English actor of considerable 
merit), 1 742-1798. "There is another and a better 
world." 

His death took place on the stage of the Liverpool 



were withdrawn, and remained in the possession of the re- 
ceiver. This gentleman, desiring to be relieved, awaited the 
orders of the Lord Chancellor ; but the latter, upon the matter 
being mentioned to him in court, refused to recognize them as 
part of the estate, or make any order respecting them. The 
receiver thus continued to hold them; but finding that none 
of the creditors would relieve him of them, or, indeed, make 
inquiry about them, he transferred them, in 1844, to a Mr. 
Tilley, who retained them in his possession until a public 
funeral could be arranged. I have never heard that this 
has been done, and know nothing more of these Thomas 
venerabilis ossa. — William Bates: " The Maclise Portrait 
Gallery." 

Ode to the Bones of the Im-mortal Thomas Paine, newly 
transported from America to England, by the no less Im- 
mortal William Cobbett, Esq., by Thomas Rodd, Senr., the 
Bookseller (London, 1819, 4to). A Brief History of the Re- 
mains of the late Thomas Paine, from the time of their dis- 
interment, in 1819, by the late William Cobbett, M.P., down 
to the year 1846 (London, Watson, 1847) ; and Notes and 
Queries, Fourth Series. 

" How Tom gets a living now ... I know not, nor 
does it much signify. He has done all the mischief he can in 
the world; and whether his carcase is at last to be suffered 
to rot on the earth, or to be dried in the air, is of very little 
consequence. Whenever or wherever he breathes his last, he 
will excite neither sorrow nor compassion; no friendly hand 
will close his eyes, not a groan will be uttered, not a tear will 
be shed. Like Judas, he will be remembered by posterity; 
men will learn to express all that is base, malignant, treacher- 
ous, unnatural, and blasphemous, by the single monosyllable— 
Paine!"— Life of Thomas Paine, by William Cobbett. 

219 



Xast TKHor&s of 

Theatre while he was performing the character of the 
^Stranger, and his last words were a line in the play. 
Palmer was a man of acute and affectionate feel- 
ings, which had been much exercised by the course 
and events of his life. He had recently lost his wife 
and a favorite son, labored in consequence under pro- 
found grief and depression of mind which he strove 
to overcome, and had expressed a conviction that 
these mental sufferings would very shortly bring him 
to his grave. During some days he seemed, how- 
ever, to bear up against his misfortunes, and per- 
formed in some pieces, including The Stranger, with 
much success. About a week afterward he appeared 
a second time in that character, when he fell a victim 
to the poignancy of his feelings. On the morning 
of the day he was much dejected, but exerted him- 
self with great effect in the first and second acts of 
the play. In the third act he showed evident marks 
of depression ; and in the fourth, when about to re- 
ply to the question of Baron Steinfort relative to his 
children, appeared unusually agitated. He endeav- 
ored to proceed, but his feelings overcame him. The 
hand of death arrested his progress, and he fell on 
his back, heaved a convulsive sigh and instantly ex- 
pired without a groan. Having been removed to 
the scene-room, and medical aid immediately pro- 
cured, his veins were opened, but yielded not a single 
drop of blood, and every other means of resuscitation 
was tried without effect. His death was by most 
persons ascribed to apoplexy; but Dr. Mitchell and 

220 



Bistfnautebefc iftcn ant) Momen 

Dr. Corry gave it as their opinion that he certainly- 
died of a broken heart, in consequence of the family 
afflictions which he had recently experienced. 

Annual Register. 

Park (Edwards Amasa, distinguished American 
theologian, author and translator, professor in An- 
dover Theological Seminary, and cne of the editors 
of the " Bibliotheca Sacra "), 1808-1899. " These 
passages may be found on the following pages." 
His mind was wandering, and, like Dr. Adam, head 
master at the High School in Edinburgh, he thought 
himself once more in the class-room. 

Parker (Theodore, Unitarian preacher and 
writer), 18 10- 1869. "It is all one, Phillips and 
Clarke 1 will come for my sake." He meant that 
Wendell Phillips and James Freeman Clarke would 
attend his funeral. He died at Florence, where he 
had gone for his health. The character of Theodore 
Parker was above reproach. His tone of morality 
was high. His motives were elevated, and, appar- 
ently, sincere. His firm grasp of some of the fun- 
damental principles of natural religion, together 
with his unfailing confidence in his own powers, 
gave a strength to his utterances of truth and duty 
which often stirred and swayed the moral nature of 
his hearers. But in all his writings we find no ex- 
pression of a consciousness of guilt and of need as a 
sinner, and no recognition of Christ as a Saviour. 

221 



Xast TOor&s of 

Of Theodore Parker, Lowell speaks thus wittily, in 
his " Fables for Critics : " 

His hearers can't tell you on Sunday beforehand, 

If in that day's discourse they'll be Bibled or Koraned, 

For he's seized the idea (by his martyrdom fired), 

That all men (not orthodox) may be inspired; 

Yet though wisdom profane with his creed he may weave in, 

He makes it quite clear what he doesn't believe in, 

While some, who decry him, think all kingdom come 

Is a sort of a, kind of a, species of Hum, 

Of which, as it were, so to speak, not a crumb 

Would be left, if we didn't keep carefully mum, 

And, to make a clean breast, that 'tis perfectly plain 

That all kinds of wisdom are somewhat profane; 

Now P's creed than this may be lighter or darker, 

But in one thing 'tis clear he has faith, namely — Parker. 

And this is what makes him the crowd-drawing preacher. 

There's a background of God to each hard-working feature. 

Parkman (Francis, American author), 1823- 
1893. He died peacefully about noon on the 8th of 
November, 1893, and was buried in the Mount 
Auburn Cemetery. The last book he read was 
" Childe Harold," and his last words were to tell that 
he had just dreamed of killing a bear. Though 
suffering extremely, he yet maintained to his last 
hour an impressive degree of dignity, firmness, gen- 
tleness and serenity. 

Farnham: "Life of Francis Parkman/' 

Pascal (Blaise, one of the most profound thinkers 
and accomplished writers of France), 1623- 1662. 
" May God never forsake me! " 

222 



Dtstingutsbet) /Ifcen an£> TOomen 

Payson (Rev. Edward, American Congrega* 
tional divine), 1783- 1827. "Faith and patience 
hold out" These words were spoken with extreme 
difficulty and in great pain. Some report his last 
words thus : " I feel like a mote in the sunbeam." 

Dr. Payson directed that when he was dead a label 
should be attached to his breast on which should be 
written, " Remember the words I spake unto you 
while I was yet present with you," that all who came 
to view his dead body might receive from him one 
more sermon. The same words were at the request 
of his people engraven upon the plate of the coffin. 

Pellico (Silvio, Italian poet, author of " Fran- 
cesca da Rimini " and " My Prisons "), 1789- 1854. 
" Paradise! Paradise! At last comes to me the 
grand consolation. My prisons disappear; the great 
of earth pass away; all before me is rest." 

Pembo (the hermit), "I thank God that not a 
day of my life has been spent in idleness. Never 
have I eaten bread that I have not earned with the 
sweat of my brow. I do not recall any bitter speech 
I have made for which I ought to repent now." 
This suggests the prayer of the Pharisee, " God, I 
thank thee that I am not as other men are, extor- 
tioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I 
possess." — Luke xviii: II, 12. 

Penn (William, founder of Pennsylvania), 1644- 
17 18. "To be like Christ is to be a Christian." 

223 



Xast TKHotfts of 

Perceval (Spencer, distinguished statesman, as- 
sassinated on the nth of May, 1 8 12, in the lobby of 
the House of Commons, by John Bellingham), 1762- 
1812. "O my God!" 

Pestel (Paul, Russian revolutionist, author of 
" Pestel's Hymn." He was a brave man who loved 
liberty, and desired to establish it upon the ruins of 
Russian absolutism), 1794- 1826. " Stupid country, 
where they do not even know how to hang." These 
words were spoken when the rope broke by which he 
was to be hanged. 

Peter (His original name was Simon; but when 
he became a disciple of Christ he received the name 
Peter, which in Greek signifies a " rock." He was 
sometimes called Cephas. He was one of the most 
distinguished of the twelve apostles of our Lord, and 
is the author of two epistles included in the canon of 
Scripture), — 65. "Remember the Lord Jesus 
Christ." These words which rest upon the author- 
ity of Eusebius, Peter is said to have addressed to 
his wife on seeing her going to martyrdom. Some 
suppose that he was himself at the time suspended 
upon the cross. 1 

Peter I. (of Russia, " Peter the Great "), 1672- 
1725. "I believe, Lord, and confess; help my un- 
belief." 

1 It is said that Peter was crucified with his head down, 
himself so requesting, because he thought himself unworthy 
to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord. 

224 



2>istinauisbefc fJbcn anfc XPdlomen 

Peter III. (Feodorovitch, of Russia, grandson of 
" Peter the Great." He drew down upon himself, 
by his innovations, the enmity of the nobles and 
clergy, and was in consequence dethroned and stran- 
gled by conspirators, of whom his wife, the profli- 
gate, cruel and infamous Catherine II. was an ac- 
complice), 1 728- 1 762. "It was not enough to de- 
prive me of the Crown of Russia, but I must be put 
to death" 

Peters (Hugh, distinguished clergyman and 
politician, pastor of the First Congregational Church 
in Salem, Mass., succeeding Roger Williams, 
" whose doctrines he disclaimed and whose adher- 
ents he excommunicated." In 1637 he was ap- 
pointed overseer of Harvard. In 1641 he returned 
to England, where he joined the Parliamentary 
party, and became a chaplain in the army. After 
the restoration of Charles II. Peters was committed 
to the Tower, and indicted for high treason. He 
was executed in London, Oct. 16, 1660), 1599- 
1660. "Friend, you do not well to trample on a 
dying man." 

When Hugh Peters was carried on a sledge to the 
scaffold, he was made to sit within the rails, and see 
the execution of Mr. Cook. When the latter was 
cut down to be quartered, Colonel Turner ordered 
the sheriff's men to bring Mr. Peters near, that he 
might see it; and when soon after the hangman 
rubbed his blood-stained hands together, he taunt- 

225 



%a$t Works of 

ingly asked, " Come, how do you like this work, Mr. 
Peters ? " He calmly replied, " Friend, you do not 
well to trample on a dying man.' 1 

The Percy Anecdotes. 

It was alleged that Peters was one of those that 
stood masked on the scaffold when the king was be- 
headed, and to render him more odious, it was re- 
ported that he was the executioner. During his im- 
prisonment he wrote several letters of advice to his 
daughter, which were published under the title of 
" A Dying Father's Legacy to an Only Child," of 
which his great-nephew, Samuel, said : " It was 
printed and published in Old and New England, and 
myriads of experienced Christians have read his 
legacy with ecstasy and health to their souls." After 
execution his head was stuck on a pole and placed on 
London bridge. . . . His private character 
has been the subject of much discussion. He was 
charged by his enemies with gross immorality, and 
the most bitter epithets have been applied to him. 
Of late years he has been estimated more favorably. 

Applet oris Cyclopaedia of American Biography. 

Philip II. (of Spain), 1527-1598. "I die like 
a good Catholic, in faith and obedience to the Holy 
Roman church." 

Soon after these last words had been spoken, a 
paroxysm, followed by faintness, came over him, 
and he lay entirely still. They had covered his face 
with a cloth, thinking that he had already expired, 

226 



Distingutebefc fl>en an& THHomea 

when he suddenly started with great energy, opened 
his eyes, seized the crucifix again from the hand of 
Don Fernando de Toledo, kissed it, and fell back 
again in agony . . . He did not speak again, 
but lay unconsciously dying for some hours, and 
breathed his last at five in the morning of Sunday, 
the 13th of September. 

Motley: " History of the United Netherlands." 

Philip III. (of Spain), 1578-1621: " Oh would 
to God I had never reigned! Oh, that those years I 
have spent in my kingdom I had lived a solitary life 
in the wilderness! Oh, that I had lived alone with 
God! How much more secure should I now have 
died! With how much more confidence should I 
have gone to the throne of God! What doth all my 
glory profit, but that I have so much the more tor- 
ment in my death? " 

Pius IX. (Cardinal Giovanni Maria Mastai-Far- 
retti, elected Pope June 17th, 1846), 1792- 1878. 
" Guard the church I loved so well and sacredly." 
Some say his last words were, " Death wins this 
time." 

Phocion (Athenian statesman and general, un- 
justly condemned on a charge of treason, and put 
to death), b. c. 402-317. "No resentment" 



Pitt (William), 1759-1806. " O my country, 
how I leave thee!" 

227 



Xast WLovDs of 

Pizarro (Francisco, the conqueror of Peru), 
about 1475-1541. " Jesu! " He was assassinated 
in his palace, June 26, 1541, and was killed only 
after desperate resistance. 

Plotinus (Greek philosopher ot the Neo-Pla- 
tonic school), 204-270. "I am laboring to return 
that which is divine in us, unto that Divinity which 
informs and enlivens the whole universe." 

He was intensely religious, and if he had come a 
century later would, instead of a heathen philos- 
opher, have been one of the first names among the 
saints of the church. — Hallam. 

Poe (Edgar Allan, American poet, author of 
" The Raven "), 1811-1849. " Lord help my soul! " 

Dr. Moran, resident physician of the Marine 
Hospital, where Poe died, wrote to Mrs. Clemm, 
under date of November 15th, 1849, an account 
of Poe's last hours, in which he represents him as 
having been wildly delirious, sometimes " resisting 
the efforts of two nurses to keep him in bed, until 
Saturday, when he commenced calling for one 
* Reynolds/ which he did through the night until 
three on Sunday morning. At this time a very 
decided change began to affect him. Having be- 
come enfeebled from exertion, he became quiet and 
seemed to rest for a short time ; then gently moving 
his head he said, ' Lord help my soul ! ' and ex- 
pired." 

228 



Bistingutebefc /foen anb Women 

Polycarp (" Saint," Christian Father and martyr 
and the reputed disciple of the Apostle John), burned 
at the stake, 169. " Father of Thy beloved and 
blessed Son, Jesus Christ! God of all prin- 
cipalities and of all creation! I bless Thee that Thou 
hast counted me worthy of this day, and of this 
hour, to receive my portion in the number of the 
martyrs, in the cup of Christ. I praise Thee for all 
these things; I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, by the 
eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, Thy well-beloved 
Son, through whom, and with whom, in the Holy 
Spirit, be glory to Thee, both now and forever. 
Amen!' 

Pope (Alexander), 1688- 1744. " 1 am dying, sir, 
of a hundred good symptoms" said to a friend who 
called to inquire concerning his health. Some give 
his last words thus : " Friendship itself is but a 
part of virtue." 1 



1 On some occasion of alteration in the church at Twicken- 
ham, England, or burial of some one in the same spot, the 
coffin of Pope was disinterred, and opened to see the state of 
the remains. By a bribe to the sexton of the time, possession 
of the skull was obtained for the night, and another skull was 
returned in place of it. Fifty pounds were paid for the suc- 
cessful management of this transaction. Whether this ac- 
count is correct or not, the fact is that the skull of Pope figures 
in a private museum. — William Howitt. 

The head of the celebrated Due de Richelieu, like that of 
Pope, the Mahdi, and Swendenborg, is above ground. At the 
time of the revolution in France the body of the Duke was 
exhumed from its grave in the Church of the Sorbonne. This 

229 



%a$t WLotbs of 

Pope (William, the notorious leader of a com- 
pany of men who attracted considerable attention by 
their open and continued abuse of sacred things. The 
utterances of these men shocked community and 
filled the minds of even open unbelievers with horror. 
It was reported, but of that the compiler of this book 
has no positive knowledge, that Pope and his as- 
sociates diverted themselves by kicking the Bible 
about the floor of the room in which they held their 
infamous meetings. In his death chamber was a 
scene of terror), — 1797. " I have done the damnable 
deed — the horrible damnable deed! I cannot pray. 
God will have nothing to do with me. I will not 
have salvation at His hands. I long to be in the bot- 
tomless pit — the lake which burneth with fire and 
brimstone! I tell you I am damned! I will not 
have salvation! Nothing for me but hell. Come, 

having been subjected to numerous indignities, the head was 
cut off, and the latter eventually came into the possession of a 
grocer, who afterward sold it to M. Armez, the elder. M. 
Armez, after the Restoration, offered the head to the then 
Due de Richelieu, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who took 
no notice whatever of the offer. The son of M. Armez in- 
herited the skull. In 1846 the illustrious Montalembert, when 
President of the Historical Committee of Arts and Monu- 
ments, at the instance of his colleagues, did his best to recover 
the head of the Duke, but without success. M. F. Feuillet de 
Conches, in his " Causeries d'un Curieux," makes this com- 
ment : " We accuse no one, still the fact is undeniable that 
this terrible head, the personification of the absolute monarchy 
killing the aristocratic monarchy, is wandering upon the earth 
like a spectre that has straggled out of the domain of the 
dead." 

230 



SHstinguisbefc /lDen ant) TOomen 

eternal torments. God, do not hear my prayers, 
for I will not be saved. I hate everything that God 
has made." 

Porteus (Beilby, Bishop of London. Among his 
works are a " Life of Archbishop Seeker," " Ser- 
mons," and a Seatonian prize poem on " Death." It 
is said that he assisted Hannah More in the com- 
position of " Ccelebs in Search of a Wife "), 1731- 
1808. " 0, that glorious sun! " 

Preston (John, author of " Treatise on the 
Covenant"), 1587- 1628. " Blessed be God, though 
I change my place, I shall not change my company; 
for I have walked with God while living, and now I 
go to rest with God." 

Priestly (Joseph, philosopher and writer), 
1 733- 1 804. " / am going to sleep like you, but we 
shall all awake together, and I trust to everlasting 
happiness," spoken to his grandchildren and attend- 
ants. 

To Priestly we owe our knowledge of oxygen, 
binoxide of nitrogen, sulphurous acid, fluosilicic 
acid, muriatic acid, ammonia, carburetted hydro- 
gen, and carbonic oxide. 

Pusey (Edward Bouverie, Regius professor of 
Hebrew at Oxford, author with John Henry New- 
man, of " Tracts for the Times." He favored 

231 



Xast THUor&s of 

auricular confession and many of the distinctive 
doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic 
church), 1800-1882. " My God! " 

He repeated again and again during his last hours 
the words, " The body of our Lord Jesus Christ 
■which was given for thee, preserve thy body and 
soul unto everlasting life." When a common cup 
containing food was brought to him, he clutched it 
with reverent eagerness, thinking in the bewilder- 
ment of his mind, that it was the chalice. When he 
saw the friends about his bed kneeling in prayer, he 
raised his hand, with the words, " By His authority 
committed unto me, I absolve thee from all thy sins." 
At last, gazing about him as though he saw what 
the dear ones by his bedside could not see, he cried 
out, " My God ! " and ceased to breathe. His He- 
brew Bible lay open on a little table near his bed 
just as he had left it a few days before, at 1 Chron. 
xvi, where is described David's triumphant restora- 
tion of the ark of God to its place in the reverent 
worship of Israel. 

Quarles (Francis, quaint English poet, author 
of "Emblems"), 1592-1644. "What I cannot 
utter with my month, accept, Lord, from my heart 
and soul/' 

Quin (James, actor), 1693- 1766. "I could wish 
this tragic scene were over, but I hope to go through 
it with becoming dignity!' 

232 



2>fetfn£utsbet> flDen anfc Momen 

Quick (John, actor), 1748-1831. "Is this 
death? " 

Rabelais (Francois), about 1483-1553. "Let 
down the curtain, the farce is over." Some say his 
last words were, " I am going to the great perhaps.'' 

Raleigh or Rawleigh (Sir Walter), 1552-1618. 
" This is a sharp medicine, but a sure remedy for all 
evils! " These words he said upon the scaffold, 
when permitted to feel of the edge of the axe. Some 
say that later he was asked which way he chose to 
place himself on the block, and that he replied. " So 
the heart be right, it is no matter which way the head 
lies." Others say that his last words were these ad- 
dressed to the hesitating headsman, " Why dost thou 
not strike? Strike!" 

The lovers of tobacco will remember that it was 
Sir Walter Raleigh who introduced their "delight- 
ful weed " into Europe. So fond was he of the weed 
that he used it upon the scaffold. The snuff-box out 
of which he took a pinch just before his head rested 
upon the block was in constant use by the Duke of 
Sussex, and was disposed of at his sale for £6. 

Mr. Van Klaes whose will is celebrated all over 
Holland was not to be behind Sir Walter Raleigh in 
his devotion to tobacco. After his bequests to rela- 
tives and charities, he has this paragraph in his will : 

" I wish every smoker in the kingdom to be in- 
vited to my funeral in every way possible, by letter, 
circular and advertisement. Every smoker who 

233 



%ast TH2lor&s of 

takes advantage of the invitation shall receive as a 
present ten pounds of tobacco, and two pipes on 
which shall be engraved my name, my crest, and 
the date of my death. The poor of the neighbor- 
hood who accompany my bier shall receive every 
year on the anniversary of my death a large package 
of tobacco. I make the condition that all those who 
assist at my funeral, if they wish to partake of the 
benefits of my will, must smoke without interruption 
during the entire ceremony. My body shall be placed 
in a coffin lined throughout with the wood of my 
old Havana cigar-boxes. At the foot of the coffin 
shall be placed a box of French tobacco called 
Caporal and a package of our old Dutch tobacco. 
At my side place my favorite pipe and a box of 
matches, ... for one never knows what may 
happen. When the bier rests in the vault, all the 
persons in the funeral procession are requested to 
cast upon it the ashes of their pipes, as they pass it 
on their departure from the grounds." 

The wishes of the testator were fulfilled to the 
letter. The funeral went off gloriously in dense 
clouds of smoke. Mr. Van Klaes' cook, Gertrude, 
to whom was left in a codicil to the will a large sum 
of money on condition she should overcome her 
aversion to tobacco, walked in the funeral procession 
with a cigarette in her mouth. 

Randolph (John, an able but eccentric Ameri- 
can statesman), 1 773-1833. " Write that word ' Re- 

234 



DisttttGuisbefc flfcen an£> Women 

morse;' show it to me!* These words rest upon 
doubtful authority. 

Raphael (Sanzio, most illustrious of painters. 
" The Transfiguration " at Rome, and the " Ma- 
donna di San Sisto " at Dresden are accounted his 
master-pieces), 1483-1520. "Happy — / 

" Once again Raphael revived, and, supported by 
two friends, arose and looked around with wide- 
open eyes. ' Whence comes the sunshine ? ' mur- 
mured he. 

" ' Raphael/ cried I, and extended both hands to- 
ward him, ' do you recognize me ? ' 

" For a moment it seemed as if he had not heard 
me, then he spoke again, and the holy calm of his 
expression, in spite of the death-struggle, bore testi- 
mony to his words, t Happy — .' He tried to finish 
the sentence, but could not. He never uttered an- 
other word, but it was full night when a voice broke 
through the long stillness : ' Raphael is dead ! ' " 

Cardinal Bibbiena in a letter to his niece Maria di 
Bibbiena. 

Ravaillac (Francois, the assassin of Henry IV. 
of France), 1578-1610. "I receive absolution upon 
this condition/* Ravaillac asked absolution of Dr. 
Filesac, who answered, " We are forbidden to give 
it in the case of a crime of high treason, unless the 
guilty one reveals his abettors and accomplices." 
Ravaillac replied, " I have none. It is I alone that 

235 



Xast Moras of 

did it. Give me a conditional absolution. You can- 
not refuse this." " Well, then," said Dr. Filesac, 
" I give it to you, but if the contrary be true, instead 
of absolution I pronounce your eternal damnation. 
Look to it." Ravaillac answered, " I receive absolu- 
tion upon this condition." 

On May 27, 16 10, Ravaillac was declared by the 
Parliament guilty of divine and human high 
treason; condemned to have his flesh torn with hot 
pincers and the wounds filled with melted lead, boil- 
ing oil, etc.; to have his right hand, holding the 
regicidal knife, burned in a fire of sulphur; to be 
afterward torn to pieces alive by four horses, to 
have his members reduced to ashes and the ashes 
thrown to the winds. The same decree ordered that 
the house in which he was born be demolished ; that 
his father and his mother leave the kingdom in 
fifteen days, with orders not to return, under penalty 
of being hung and strangled; and finally that his 
brothers, sisters, uncles, etc., give up the name of 
Ravaillac and take another, under pain of the same 
penalties. 

Ravaillac, most fearless of fanatics and devotees, 
said, when interrogated before Parliament as to his 
estate and calling, " I teach children to read, write, 
and pray to God." At his third examination, he 
wrote beneath the signature which he had affixed to 
his testimony the following distich: 

" Que tou jours, dans mon coeur, 
Jesus soit le vainqueur ! " 

236 



DistfttQUtebefc /©en anfc Women 

and a member of Parliament exclaimed on reading 
it, " Where the devil will religion lodge next ! " * 

Raymond (John Howard, President of Vassar 
College), 1814 — . " Hoiv easy — how easy — how 

easy to glide from work here to the work " there, 

he evidently wished to add, but his voice failed him. 

Reade (Charles, author of "Peg Woffington," 
"The Cloister and the Hearth,' , "Very Hard 
Cash," " Griffith Gaunt " and " Put Yourself in His 
Place " ) , 1 8 1 4- 1 884. " A mazing, amazing glory ! 
I am having Paul's understanding." He referred 
to 2 Cor. xii, 1-4, which had previously been a sub- 
ject of conversation with a relative. In the epitaph 
which he wrote for his own tombstone, he shows his 
complete reliance for future happiness on the merits 
and mediation of Christ: 

HERE LIE, 

BY THE SIDE OF HIS BELOVED FRIEND, 

THE MORTAL REMAINS OF 

CHARLES READE, 

DRAMATIST, NOVELIST AND JOURNALIST. 

HIS LAST WORDS TO MANKIND ARE 

ON THIS STONE. 



1 John Chastel was torn to pieces sixteen years before, for 
attempting the life of the same monarch. Salcede, the 
Spaniard, endeavored to assassinate Henri III., and was ac- 
cordingly dismembered. Nicholas de Salvado and Balthazar de 
Gerrard suffered in the same way for attacking William, 
Prince of Orange. Livy records that Mettius Suffetius was 
dismembered by chariots for deserting the Roman cause. 

237 



Xast TOorfcs of 

" I hope for a resurrection, not from any power 
in nature, but from the will of the Lord God Om- 
nipotent, who made nature and me. He created me 
out of nothing, which nature could not do. He can 
restore man from the dust, which nature cannot. 

" And I hope for holiness and happiness in a fu- 
ture life, not for any thing I have said or done in 
this body, but from the merits and mediation of 
Jesus Christ. 

" He has promised his intercession to all who 
seek him, and he will not break his word ; that inter- 
cession, once granted, cannot be rejected : for he is 
God, and his merits infinite; a man's sins are but 
human and finite. 

" ' Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast 
out.' ' If any man sin, we have an Advocate with 
the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and he is 
the propitiation for our sins.' " 

Renan (Ernest, Orientalist and critic), 1823- 
1892. "/ have done my work. It is the most 
natural thing in the world to die; let us accept the 
Laws of the Universe — the heavens and the earth 
remain." 

Some authorities give his last words thus : " Let 
us submit to the Laws of Nature of which we are 
one of the manifestations. The heavens and the 
earth abide/' 

He began to study for the priesthood, but re- 
nounced that profession because he doubted the 

238 



2>istin0utebe& /H>en an& Women 

truth of the orthodox creed. He displayed much 
learning in his " General History of the Semitic 
Languages," was admitted into the Academy of In- 
scriptions in 1856, and was sent to Syria in i860 
to search for relics of ancient learning and civiliza- 
tion. Soon after his return he was appointed pro- 
fessor of Hebrew in the College of France, but was 
suspended in 1862, in deference to the will of those 
who considered him unsound in faith. He admits 
the excellence of the Christian religion, but dis- 
credits its supernatural origin and rejects the 
miracles. — Lip pine ott' s Biographical Dictionary. 

Reynolds (Sir Joshua, celebrated portrait 
painter), 1723-1792. "I have been fortunate in 
long good health and constant success, and I ought 
not to complain. I know that all things on earth 
must have an end, and now I am come to mine." 

Richelieu (Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal 
and French statesman), 1585-1642. "Absolutely, 
and I pray God to condemn me, if I have had any 
other aim than the welfare of God and the state," in 
reply to the question whether he pardoned his ene- 
mies. 

His last words are sometimes incorrectly given 
thus : " I have no enemies except those of the 
State." 

Richmond (Leigh, a clergyman of the English 
Church, and author of " Annals of the Poor " and 

239 



Xast Wotfts of 

" The Fathers of the English Church "), 1772-1827. 

"Brother, brother, strong evidences, nothing but 
strong evidences will do in such an hour as this. I 
have looked here and looked there for them, and all 
have failed me, and so I cast myself on the sovereign, 
free and full grace of God in the covenant by Jesus 
Christ; and there, brother, there I have found 
peace" 

Richter (Jean Paul Frederich, German author), 
1 763- 1 82 5. "My beautiful flowers, my lovely flow- 
ers!" 

His wife brought him a wreath of flowers that a 
lady had sent him, for every one wished to add some 
charm to his last days. As he touched them care- 
fully, for he could neither see nor smell them, he 
seemed to rejoice in the images of the flowers in 
his mind, for he said repeatedly, " My beautiful 
flowers, my lovely flowers ! " 

Although his friends sat around the bed, as he 
imagined it was night, they conversed no longer ; he 
arranged his arms as if preparing for repose, which 
was to be to him the repose of death, and soon sank 
into a tranquil sleep. ... At length his res- 
piration became less regular, but his features always 
calmer, more heavenly. A slight convulsion passed 
over the face ; the physician cried out, " That is 
death ! " and all was quiet. The spirit had departed. 

Robertson (Frederick William, an English 
clergyman of singular purity and depth of religious 

240 



E)tetttt3Uisbe& flDen anb Women 

feeling, and of great ability), 1816-1853. "I can- 
not bear it; let me rest. I must die. Let God do his 
work." 

A member of his congregation, a chemist, asked 
him to look at his galvanic apparatus. He took the 
ends of the wire, completed the circuit, experiencing 
the tingling. He then held the end of the wire to 
the back of the head and neck, without a single sen- 
sation being elicited. Then he touched his forehead 
for a second. " Instantly a crashing pain shot 
through, as if my skull was stove in, and a bolt of 
fire were burning through and through." In the 
same letter he writes, " My work is done." Some 
hope might have been entertained if he could have 
had a curate to help him with his work. But the 
then Vicar of Brighton, rather an unsympathetic 
man, refused to let him have the curate on whom 
his heart was set. So he sank, unrelieved, into 
death. The dark secrets of the hospital of torture 
hardly reveal greater suffering than Robertson en- 
dured in those last hours. When they sought to 
change his position, he said, " I cannot bear it ; let 
me rest. I must die. Let God do his work." These 
were his last words. 

He was only thirty-seven years old when he died ; 
an age when he had not reached the climax of his 
powers, or the complete development of his char- 
acter and views. It is an interesting circumstance 
that after his death an inhabitant of Brighton who 
had stood aloof from his teaching during his life- 

241 



Xast Morfcs ot 

time, read his sermons and was so struck with the 
beauty of his teaching that in gratitude he placed 
a marble bust of the great preacher in the Pavilion. 

London Society. 
For six years he continued to preach sermons, 
the like of which, for blending of delicacy and 
strength of thought, poetic beauty and homely lu- 
cidity of speech, had perhaps never been heard be- 
fore in England. Robertson was unhappily (for his 
comfort) not very " orthodox; " consequently he 
was long misunderstood, and vilified by the " pro- 
fessedly religious portion of society ; " but so true, so 
beautiful was his daily life and conversation that he 
almost outlived those pious calumnies, and his death 
(from consumption) threw the whole town in 
mourning. — Chambers' Encyclopedia. 

Rob Roy (whose original name was Macgregor, 
was a friend and follower of the " Pretender " in the 
Rebellion of 171 5. He is the hero of one of Scott's 
novels), about 1660- 1743. 

Tradition relates that Rob Roy was visited on his 
death-bed by a person with whom he was at enmity, 
and that as soon as the visitor, whom he treated with 
a cold, haughty civility during their short confer- 
ence, had departed, the dying man said, " Now all 
is over — let the piper play ' Ha til mi tulidh' (we 
return no more) " — and he is said to have expired 
before the dirge was finished. — Francis Jacox. 

2^2 



Distinguisbefc fl>en anfc Momen 

Royer-Collard (Pierre Paul, French philoso- 
pher and statesman), 1763-1845. " There is nothing 
solid and substantial in the world but religious 
ideas." 

Rogers (John, Vicar of St. Pulchers, and reader 
of St. Paul's in London. He was burnt at the 
stake, — 1555. "Lord, receive my spirit" 

Roland (Marie Jeanne Philipon, Madame. "The 
Spirit of the Girondin Party"), 1754-1793. "Go 
first; I can at least spare you the pain of seeing my 
blood How." 

When she arrived in front of the Statue of Lib- 
erty, she bent her head to it, exclaiming, " Oh Lib- 
erty, how many crimes are committed in thy name ! " 
At the foot of the scaffold she said to her companion, 
an old and timid man, whom she had been encourag- 
ing on the way, " Go first ; I can at least spare you 
the pain of seeing my blood flow." 

Romaine (William, English theologian, for 
thirty years rector of Blackfriars), 1714-1795. 
" Holy, holy, holy, blessed Lord Jesus! to Thee be 
endless praise! " 

Rosa (Salvator, Italian painter), 1615-1673. 
" To judge by what I now endure, the hand of death 
grasps me sharply." Last recorded words. 

243 



Xast TKIlor&$ ot 

Rossetti (Dante Gabriel, English painter and 
poet, leader in the Pre-Raphaelite movement), 1828- 
1882. "I think I shall die to-night" These are 
his last recorded words. 

Dante Gabriel Rossetti is buried near the waves 
of his beloved German Ocean in the churchyard of 
Birchington, a small village on the Isle of Thanet. 
He died in 1882 at his bungalow, on a cliff near by, 
and his grave is marked by a tall Celtic cross of 
stone, carved with designs by Ford Madox Brown. 
The head and arms of the cross are decorated with 
a spray ending in leaves, and two leafy branches 
right and left. The shaft has four panels, with re- 
liefs. The upper compartment has a figure of Christ, 
fronting, and two figures right and left in profile. 
The panel below has a kneeling bull, with wings, to 
represent the Evangelist. Below that is a kneeling 
painter, with canvas and easel before him and his 
palette on his arm. The lowest panel is filled with a 
decorative scroll. There is a stained-glass window 
to his memory in the little church. 

Rousseau (Jean Jacques, the famous author of 
"La Nouvelle Heloise," " £mile," " Du Contrat 
Social " and " Confessions "), 1712-1778. " Throw 
up the window that I may see once more the mag- 
nificent scene of nature" 

Rutherford (Rev. Samuel), 1695-1779. "If 
he should slay me ten thousand times, ten thousand 

244 



2>istingufsbe& flDen ant) TKRomen 

times I'll trust him. I feel, I feel, I believe in joy, 
and rejoice; I feed on manna. for arms to em- 
brace him! for a well-tuned harp! " 

Rutherford (Rev. Thomas), 1712-1771. "He 

has indeed been a precious Christ to me; and now I 
feel him to be my rock, my strength, my rest, my 
hope, my joy, my all in all" 

Sabatier (Raphael Bienvenu, French surgeon), 
1732-1811. " Contemplate the state in which I am 
fallen, and learn to die," said to his son. 

He was ashamed of his bodily infirmities and of 
his approaching mortality. 

Samson (one of the judges of Israel, of the tribe 
of Dan, and the son of Manoah), about b. c. 1155. 
" Let me die with the Philistines" After perform- 
ing several wonderful deeds of strength, he was 
made prisoner, and deprived of sight by the Philis- 
tines, a great number of whom he subsequently de- 
stroyed, along with himself, by pulling down the 
temple in which they were assembled. 

See Judges, xvi. 

Sand (" George," pseudonym of Madame Dude- 
vant), 1 804- 1 876. " Laissez la verdure" — mean- 
ing, " Leave the tomb green, do not cover it over 
with bricks or stone." 

Sanderson (Robert, English prelate, chaplain to 
Charles I., and later Bishop of London), 1 587-1663. 

245 



Xast Worfcs of 

" My heart is fixed, God! my heart is fixed where 
true joy is to be found" 

Sarpi (Fra Paolo, author of " History of the 
Council of Trent," and opponent of the doctrine of 
the infallibility of the Pope), 1552-1623. "Be thou 
everlasting" These words were spoken in refer- 
ence to his country, Venice. 

Saunders (Lawrence, suffered martyrdom dur- 
ing the reign of Queen Mary). " Welcome the cross 
of Christ, welcome everlasting life" 

Away went Mr. Saunders, with a merry courage, 
toward the fire. He fell to the ground and prayed ; 
he rose up again and took the stake to which he 
should be chained in his arms and kissed it, saying : 
" Welcome the cross of Christ, welcome everlast- 
ing life." Being fastened to the stake he fell full 
sweetly asleep in the Lord. 

Fox's " Book of Martyrs" 

Savonarola (Girolamo, celebrated preacher and 
political, as well as religious, reformer of Florence), 
1 452- 1 498. " O Florence, what hast thou done to- 
day?" He was strangled and burnt by the com- 
missioners of the Pope, May 23, 1498. His last 
words are sometimes given thus : " The Lord has 
suffered as much for me." 

While he and his companions, all three barely 
covered by their tunics, with naked feet and arms 
bound, were being slowly led from the ringhiera to 

246 






2>istinguisbeb /iDen anfc> Women 

the gibbet, the dregs of the populace were allowed to 
assail them with vile words and viler acts. Savona- 
rola endured this bitter martyrdom with unshaken 
serenity. One bystander, stirred with compassion, 
approached him and said a few comforting words, to 
which he benignantly replied : " At the last hour, 
God alone can give mortals comfort. " A certain 
priest, named Nerotto, asked him, "in what spirit 
dost thou bear martyrdom? " He said: "The 
Lord hath suffered as much for me." He then kissed 
the crucifix, and his voice was heard no more. 

Villari: " Life and Times of Savonarola/' 

Sax (Hermann Maurice, Marshal of France), 
1 696- 1 750. " The dream has been short, but it has 
been beautiful" 

Scarron (Paul, the creator of French bur- 
lesque), 1610-1660. "Ah! mes enfans, you cannot 
cry as much for me as I have made you laugh in my 
time!" Some say that a few moments later he 
added, " I never thought that it was so easy a matter 
to laugh at the approach of death." 

The life of Scarron was one of extreme wretched- 
ness. He was, like Heine, a miserable paralytic ; his 
form, to use his own words, " had become bent like 
a Z." " My legs," he says, " first made an obtuse 
angle with my thighs, then a right and at last an 
acute angle ; my thighs made another with my body. 
My head is bent upon my chest; my arms are con- 
247 



Xast MorSs of 

tracted as well as my legs, and my fingers as well as 
my arms. I am, in truth, a pretty complete abridg- 
ment of human misery." At the time of his mar- 
riage (to the beautiful and gifted Mademoiselle 
d'Aubigne, afterward Madame de Maintenon, the 
wife for thirty years of Louis XIV.) he could only 
move with freedom his hand, tongue and eyes. His 
days were passed in a chair with a hood, and so 
completely was he the abridgment of man he 
describes himself that his wife had to kneel to look 
in his face. He could not be moved without scream- 
ing from pain, nor sleep without opium. The epitaph 
which he wrote on himself is touching from its 
truth : 

Tread softly — make no noise 
To break his slumbers deep; 

Poor Scarron here enjoys 
His first calm night of sleep. 

— Russell: Library Notes. 

Schiller (Friedrich, " the only German poet 
who can contest the supremacy of Goethe"), 1759- 
1805. " Many things are growing plain and clear 
to my understanding. 33 

Of his friends and family he took a touching but 
tranquil farewell ; he ordered that his funeral should 
be private, without pomp or parade. Some one in- 
quiring how he felt, he said, " Calmer and calmer; " 
simple but memorable words, expressive of the mild 
heroism of the man. About six he sank into a deep 
sleep; once for a moment he looked up with a lively 

248 



2>tetin0Utebefc flben an& Momen 

air and said, " Many things are growing plain and 
clear to my understanding." Again he closed his 
eyes, and his sleep deepened and deepened till it 
changed into the sleep from which there is no 
awakening, and all that remained of Schiller was a 
lifeless form soon to be mingled with the sods of the 
valley. — Carlyle's "Life of Schiller." 

Dunzer says, in his " Life of Schiller " : " During 
Schiller's delirium, from May 5th to May 9th, 1805, 
he repeated passages from his ' Demetrius,' and be- 
fore falling asleep he called out, ' Is that your hell ? 
Is that your heaven ? ' and then looked upward with 
a calm smile: ' Liebe, gate' (Dear, good one), ad- 
dressed to his wife, were the last words he uttered." 

Schiller's last words are sometimes given thus: 
" Einen Blick in die Sonne." 

Schimmelpenninck (Mary Anne, author of 
"Memoirs of Port-Royal"), 1778-1856. " O, I 
hear such beautiful voices, and the children's are the 
loudest." 

Schlegel (Karl Wilhelm Friedrich, von, Ger- 
man philosopher and author), 1772- 1829. " But 
the consummate and perfect knozvledge — " 

Schleiermacher (Friedrich Ernst Daniel, dis- 
tinguished German pulpit orator and theologian), 
1 768- 1 834. "Now I can hold out here no longer. 
Lay me in a different posture." 

On the last morning, Wednesday, February 12, 
249 



Xast Worfcs ot 

his sufferings evidently became greater. He com- 
plained of a burning inward heat, and the first and 
last tone of impatience broke from his lips : " Ah, 
Lord, I suffer much ! " The features of death came 
fully on, the eye was glazed, the death-struggle was 
over ! At this moment, he laid the two fore-fingers 
upon his left eye, as he often did when in deep 
thought, and began to speak : " We have the atoning 
death of Jesus Christ, his body and his blood." Dur- 
ing this he had raised himself up, his features began 
to be reanimated, his voice became clear and strong ; 
he inquired with priestly solemnity : " Are ye one 
with me in this faith?" to which we, Lommatzsch 
and a female friend who were present, and myself, 
answered with a loud yea. " Then let us receive the 
Lord's Supper ! but the sexton is not to be thought 
of; quick, quick! let no one stumble at the form; I 
have never held to the dead letter ! " 

As soon as the necessary things were brought in 
by my son-in-law, during which time we had waited 
with him in solemn stillness, he began — with fea- 
tures more and more animated, and with an eye to 
which a strange and indescribable lustre, yea, a higher 
glow of love with which he looked upon us, had re- 
turned, — to pronounce some words of prayer intro- 
ductory to the solemn rite. Then he gave the bread 
first to me, then to the female friend, then to Lom- 
matzsch, and lastly to himself, pronouncing aloud to 
each, the words of institution (Matt xxvi, etc.; I 
Cor. xi. 23-29), — so loud indeed, that the children 

250 



Bistmoufsbefc /JBen anfc> IKHomen 

and Muhlenfels (late Professor in the London Uni- 
versity), who kneeled listening at the door of the 
next room, heard them plainly. So also with the 
wine, to us three first, and then to himself, with the 
full words of institution to each. Then, with his 
eyes directed to Lommatzsch, he said : " Upon these 
words of Scripture I stand fast, as I have always 
taught; they are the foundation of my faith." Af- 
ter he had pronounced the blessing, he turned his 
eye once more full of love on me, and then on each 
of the others, with the words : " In this love and 
communion, we are and remain one."" 

He laid himself back upon his pillow; the anima- 
tion still rested on his features. After a few minutes 
he said : " Now I can hold out here no longer," and 
then, " Lay me in a different posture." We laid him 
on his side, — he breathed a few times, — and life 
stood still ! Meanwhile the children had all come in, 
and were kneeling around the bed as his eyes closed 
gradually. 

Account of Schleiermacher 3 s Death prepared by 
his wife. 

Schwerin von (Kurt Christoph, Count and 
Field-marshal), 1684-1757. "Let all brave Prus- 
sians follow me," said' just before he fell dead, having 
been struck by a cannon ball. 

Scott (James, Duke of Monmouth, natural son 
of Charles II., of England), 1649-1685. "There 

251 



%ast Moras of 

are six guineas for you, and do not hack me as you 
did my Lord Russell. I have heard that you struck 
him three or four times. My servant will give you 
more gold if you do your work well," said to the 
headsman, who, notwithstanding these words, be- 
ing unnerved, inflicted several blows before the neck 
was severed. 

Scott (Thomas, Privy Councillor of James V. of 
Scotland). "Begone, you and your trumpery; un- 
til this moment I believed there was neither a God 
nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, 
and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment 
of the Almighty," said to a priest who wished to 
point out to him the way of salvation. 



Scott (Sir Walter), 1771-1832. "God bless 
you all I " to his family. Some give his last words 
thus : " I feel as if I were to be myself again." 

Still others say his last words were these, ad- 
dressed to Lockhart, " My dear, be a good man, — be 
virtuous, — -be religious, — be a good man. Nothing 
else can give you any comfort, when you come to 
lie here." 

It is also said by some authorities that his last 
words were, " There is but one book; bring me the 
Bible." These words it is represented were ad- 
dressed to Lockhart who had asked him what book 
it was he wished to have read to him. 

252 



2>tetinauisbefc flDen an& Women 

Scott (Winfield, distinguished American gen- 
eral), 1 786- 1 866. "James, take good care of the 
horse." 

As Frederick the Great's last completely con- 
scious utterance was in reference to his favorite Eng- 
lish greyhound, Scott's was in regard to his magnifi- 
cent horse, the same noble animal that followed in his 
funeral procession a few days later. Turning to his 
servant, the old veteran's last words were: " James, 
take good care of the horse." In accordance with 
his expressed wish, he was buried at West Point on 
the first of June 1866, and his remains were accom- 
panied to the grave by many of the most illustrious 
men of the land, including Gen. Grant and Admiral 
Farragut. 

Appleton's Cyclopcedia of American Biography. 

Serment (Mile, de, called "The Philosopher," 
because of her rare attainments in literature and of 
her wide acquaintance with ethics). She died of 
cancer of the breast, and expired in finishing these 
lines which she addressed to Death : 

" Nectare clausa suo, 
Dignum tantorum pretium tulit ilia laborum." 

Servetus (Michael. He calls himself Serveto 
alias Reves, adding his family name to his own, in 
the title of his earliest book. For twenty years of 
his life, during his residence in France, he was 
known only as Michael de Villanovanus, from the 

253 



Xast TOlor&s of 

assumed name of his birthplace), 1509 or 151 1- 
1553- "Jesus, Son of the eternal God, have mercy 
on me! " 

The sentence was drawn out at great length on 
the 26th of October. Servetus did not know it till 
the next day, Friday, two hours before the execu- 
tion. On a rising ground near the lake, a little to the 
eastward of the city, he was chained to a stake, and, 
the oldest account (that in Sandius) says, for more 
than two hours, while stifling in the fumes of straw 
and brimstone, suffered the torture of a fire of 
" green oak fagots, with the leaves still on/' the wind 
blowing the flame so that it would only scorch, not 
kill, till the crowd, in horror, heaped the fuel closer. 
His last cry was, "Jesus, Son of the eternal God, 
have mercy on me ! " Farel's retort was, " Call 
rather on the Eternal Son of God ! " "I know well," 
he had written not long before, " that for this thing 
I must die, but not for that does my heart fail me 
that I may be a disciple like the Master." 

Joseph Henry Allen in the New World, Dec. 1892. 

Seton (Elizabeth Ann, philanthropist, foundress 
and first Superior of the Sisters of Charity in the 
United States), 1 774-1 821. "Soul of Christ, 
sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of 
Christ, inebriate me; Water out of the side of Christ, 
strengthen me." A few moments after she had 
spoken these words she murmured, "Jesus, Mary, 
Joseph," and expired. 

254 



2>fstin0uisbefc flDen arib Women 

Severus (Bishop of Ravenna), — 390. "My 
dear one, with whom I lived in love so long, make 
room for me, for this is my grave, and in death we 
shall not be divided/' The last words of Severus 
are purely traditional. 

Severus, Bishop of Ravenna, prepared a tomb for 
himself in his church. In it he placed the bodies of his 
wife, Vincentia, and of his daughter, Innocentia. 
After some years he was premonished that his time 
to die had come. He held service with the people, 
dismissed them and closed the cathedral doors. 
Then, clothed in his episcopal robes, with one at- 
tendant, he went to the sepulchre of his family. 
They raised the stone from the tomb, and Severus, 
looking in, said : " My dear one, with whom I lived 
in love so long, make room for me, for this is my 
grave, and in death we shall not be divided." Im- 
mediately he descended into the tomb, laid him- 
self down beside his wife and daughter, crossed his 
hands upon his breast, looked up to heaven in prayer, 
gave one sigh and fell asleep. 

Sheppard (Jack, the noted highwayman, the 
hero of many a chap-book of his day, and the hero 
and title of a novel by Defoe, and one by Ains- 
worth), 1 701- 1 724. "I have ever cherished an 
honest pride; never have I stooped to friendship 
with Jonathan Wild, or with any of his detestable 
thief-takers ; and though an undutiful son I never 
damned my mother's eyes!' 

255 



%a$t Worfcs ot 

Jack Sheppard was a popular idol followed by 
praise and applause even to the gallows. " There 
was scarce a beautiful woman in London who did 
not solace him during his prison hours with her 
condescension, and enrich him with her gifts. Not 
only did the President of the Royal Academy deign 
to paint his portrait, but (a far greater honor) Ho- 
garth made him immortal. Even the King dis- 
played a proper interest, demanding a full and pre- 
cise account of his escapes. The hero himself was 
drunk with flattery; he bubbled with ribaldry; he 
touched off the most valiant of his contemporaries 
in a ludicrous phrase. But his chief delight was to 
illustrate his prowess to his distinguished visitors, 
and nothing pleased him better than to slip in and 
out of his chains." 

Not a few of the highwaymen of the day were 
" gentlemen " and " coxcombs." We have from 
Swift a picture of one such in his sketch of " Clever 
Tom Clinch/' who 

While the rabble were bawling, 
Rode stately through Holborn to die of his calling; 
He stopped at the George for a bottle of sack, 
And promised to pay for it — when he came back. 
His waistcoat and stockings and breeches were white, 
His cap had a new cherry ribbon to tie't: 
And the maids at doors and the balconies ran 
And cried " Lac-a-day ! he's a proper young man ! " 

Sheridan (Richard Brinsley), 1751-1816. 
"Did you know Burke?" He referred to Ed- 

256 



Dtetmguisbefc fl&en an& Women 

mund Burke, the celebrated orator, statesman and 
philosopher. 



Sherman (John, distinguished American states- 
man, United States senator, and secretary of state), 
1823-1900. "/ think you had better send for the 
doctor — / am so faint." 

At three o'clock yesterday morning, Mr. Sherman 
took a decided turn for the worse. At that hour he 
complained of feeling faint and asked that his physi- 
cian be called. During the next hour the patient 
had several fainting spells and during the day these 
continued at short intervals. His doctor found him 
very weak and prescribed a stimulant, but the medi- 
cine had very little effect, and the patient sank slowly. 
All day his condition grew worse, but he retained 
consciousness till about nine o'clock last night. From 
time to time, yesterday, Mr. Sherman attempted to 
speak, but his words were not intelligible. 

Albany Evening Journal, Oct. 22, 1900. 

Sickingen (Franz von, Protestant leader and a 
brave German soldier. He championed the cause of 
learning and protected Ulrich von Hutten, Reuchlin, 
and others from the rage and oppression of Romish 
ecclesiastics), 1481-1523. "I have already con- 
fessed my sins to God," to his chaplain who inquired 
whether he desired to confess. He was killed while 
defending his castle of Neustall. 

257 



Xast motbs of 

Sidney (Algernon, English republican patriot), 
1622-1683. "Not till the general resurrection: 
strike on!" to the executioner who, asked him if 
he would like to rise again, after laying his head 
on the block. 

Sidney (Sir Philip, English gentleman, soldier 
and author), 15 54- 1586. " In me behold the end of 
the zvorld with all its vanities!' 

He was mortally wounded at Zutphen, Septem- 
ber, 1586. After he was wounded he called for 
some drink, which was brought, but before he had 
tasted it, he gave the bottle to a wounded soldier, 
saying, " Thy necessity is greater than mine." 

Smalridge (George, Bishop of Bristol), 1663- 
17 19. " God be thanked, I have had a very good 
night." 

Smith (Joseph, founder and first prophet of the 
Mormon Church), 1805- 1844. "That's right, 
Brother Taylor; parry them off as well as you can," 
to the Mormon Apostle John Taylor who was de- 
fending Smith and endeavoring to drive back the 
mob. 

Smith amassed a large fortune, assumed the title 
of lieutenant-general and president of the church, 
and exercised absolute authority over his " saints." 
He provoked the popular indignation by attempts 
to seduce the wives of other men, and was arrested 

258 



SHstingufsbefc jflDen an& Women 

ana confined in jail at Carthage, In June, 1844, a 
mob broke into the jail and killed Joseph Smith. 
Lippincotfs Biographical Dictionary. 

" I was sitting at one of the front windows of the 
jail, when I saw a number of men, with painted 
faces, coming round the corner of the jail and aim- 
ing toward the stairs. 

" As Hyrum fell he cried, 'lama dead man/ and 
spoke and moved no more. As he fell Joseph leaned 
over him, and in tones of deep and sad sympathy 
exclaimed, ' Oh ! my poor, dear brother Hyrum ! ' 
While I was engaged in parrying the guns, Brother 
Joseph said, ' That's right, Brother Taylor ; parry 
them off as well as you can/ These were the last 
words I ever heard him speak on earth.' ' 

Martyrdom of Smith, by Apostle John Taylor. 

It was believed that sacred as the tomb is always 
considered to be, there were persons capable of 
rifling the grave in order to obtain the head of the 
murdered Prophet for the purpose of exhibiting it, 
or placing it in some phrenological museum — the 
skull of Joseph Smith was worth money. This 
apprehension, in point of fact, proved true, for the 
place where the bodies were supposed to be buried 
was disturbed the night after the interment. The 
coffins had been filled with stones, etc., to about the 
weight which the bodies would have been. The 
remains of the two brothers were then secretly 
buried the same night by a chosen few, in the vaults 
beneath the temple. The ground was then levelled, 

259 



%ast WLotte ot 

and pieces of rock and other debris were scattered 
carelessly over the spot. But even this was not con- 
sidered a sufficient safeguard against any violation 
of the dead, and on the following night a still more 
select number exhumed the remains, and buried 
them beneath the pathway behind the Mansion 
House. The bricks which formed the pathway were 
carefully replaced and the earth removed was car- 
ried away in sacks and thrown into the Mississippi. 
If this last statement is true, the bodies must have 
been removed a third time, as, since writing the 
above, the author has it on unquestionable authority 
that they now repose in quite a different place. 
Brigham Young has endeavored to obtain possession 
of the remains of the Prophet, that they might be 
interred beneath the temple at Salt Lake. 

" Early Days of Mormonism " by J. H. Kennedy. 

Socrates, 470-400 b. c. " Crito, I owe a cock to 
jEsculapius, will you remember to pay the debt? " 

He walked about until, as he said, his legs began 
to fail ; and then he lay on his back, according to the 
directions, and the man who gave him the poison now 
and then looked at his feet and legs, and after awhile 
he pressed his foot hard and asked him if he could 
feel, and he said " No ; " and then his leg, and 
so upward and upward, and showed us that he was 
cold and stiff. And he felt them himself, and said, 
" When the poison reaches the heart that will be the 
end.' , He was beginning to grow cold about the 

260 



Distinguisbefc fl&en an& Women 

groin, when he uncovered his face, for he had cov- 
ered himself up, and said (they were his last words) 
— he said : " Crito, I owe a cock to iEsculapius, 
will you remember to pay the debt?" "The debt 
shall be paid," said Crito. " Is there anything 
else ? " There was no answer to this question, but 
in a minute or two a movement was heard and the 
attendants uncovered him; his eyes were set, and 
Crito closed his eyes and mouth. 

From Jowetfs " Dialogues of Plato/' 

Sophonisba (the wife of Syphax, King of 
Numidia). "If my husband has for his new zvife 
no better gift than a cup of death, I bow to his will 
and accept what he bestows. I might have died 
more honorably if I had not wedded so near to my 
funeral" 

Sophonisba was taken prisoner by Masinissa who 
had been formerly her lover. He married her, but, 
yielding to Scipio, who feared that she would influ- 
ence her husband in favor of Carthage, he sent her 
a cup of poison, bidding her remember her birth and 
estate. 

Southcott (Joanna, a religious impostor who 
w T as probably of unsound mind), 1750-1814. "If 
I have been deceived, doubtless it was the work of a 
spirit; whether that spirit was good or bad I do not 
know" Last recorded words. 

261 



Xast Morfcs of 

In the last year of her life she secluded herself 
from the world, and especially from the society of 
the other sex, and gave it out that she was with 
child of the Holy Ghost; and that she would give 
birth to the Shiloh promised to Jacob, which should 
be the second coming of Christ. Her prophecy was 
that she was to be delivered on the 19th of October, 
1 8 14, at midnight; being then upwards of sixty 
years of age. 

This announcement seemed not unlikely to be 
verified, for there was an external appearance of 
pregnancy; and her followers, who are said to have 
amounted at that time to 100,000, were in the highest 
state of excitement. A splendid and expensive cradle 
was made, and considerable sums were contributed in 
order to have other things prepared in a style worthy 
of the expected Shiloh. On the night of the 19th 
of October a large number of persons assembled in 
the street in which she lived, waiting to hear the 
announcement of the looked- for event ; but the hour 
of midnight passed over, and the crowd were only 
induced to disperse by being informed that Mrs. 
Southcott had fallen into a trance. 

Chambers' Miscellany. 
After the death of Joanna Southcott, her followers 
refused to believe her dead, and consented to a post- 
mortem examination of her body, only when decom- 
position had actually commenced. After her burial 
they formed themselves into a religious society which 
they called the Southcottian church, and professed to 

262 



2>fstin0Utebe& /iDen anfc Momen 

believe that she would rise from the dead and bring 
forth the promised Shiloh. 

Spinoza (Baruch, his Hebrew name which he 
translated into Latin as Benedictus), 1632- 1677. 
There can be no certainty with regard to the last 
hours of Spinoza. There was with him at the time of 
his death but one friend who refused to make any 
disclosure, and who chose to pass to his own grave 
in silent possession of the secret. Nevertheless a re- 
port prevailed, and was for a time believed, that 
Spinoza died in great fear and distress of mind, and 
that with his last breath he cried out : "God have 
mercy upon me, and he gracious to me, a miserable 
sinner! " Another report, equally without founda- 
tion, represented the great Dutch philosopher as re- 
sorting to suicide when he saw death drawing near. 

Spinoza is regarded as the ablest of modern pan- 
theistic philosophers. Dugald Stewart goes so far 
as to call him an Atheist : " In no part of Spinoza's 
works has he avowed himself an Atheist; but it will 
not be disputed by those who comprehend the drift 
of his reasonings, that, in point of practical tendency, 
Atheism and Spinozism are one and the same." 
During his life he awakened in the minds of some of 
the ablest men of letters and religion a bitter hatred 
it is now difficult to understand. It is but fifty years 
ago that Karel Luinman, at that time minister of 
the Reformed church at Middleburg, said : " Spit 
on that grave — there lies Spinoza." Later Froude, 

261 



ftast WLotbs of 

Lewes and Maurice have described him as a calm, 
brave man who lived nobly, and confronted disease 
and death with a deeply religious faith. Coleridge 
pronounced the Pantheism of Spinoza preferable to 
modern Deism, which he held to be but " the hypoc- 
risy of Materialism." Schleiermacher vindicated the 
memory of the great philosopher after the following 
fashion : " Offer up reverently with me a lock of 
hair to the manes of the rejected but holy Spinoza! 
The great Spirit of the Universe filled his soul ; the 
Infinite to him was beginning and end ; the Universal 
his sole and only love. Dwelling in holy innocence 
and deep humility among men, he saw himself mir- 
rored in the eternal world, and the eternal world not 
all unworthily reflected back in him. Full of religion 
was he, full of the Holy Ghost; and therefore it is 
that he meets us standing alone in his age, raised 
above the profane multitude, master of his art, but 
without disciples and the citizen's rights." Probably 
the truth of the matter is that Spinoza was a man of 
pure, brave and simple life; of gentle disposition; 
and of rare philosophical abilities and attainments; 
but whose system, though possessed of much that is 
true and good, is yet essentially opposed to God's 
revelation of himself in the sacred Scriptures, and in 
the person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

" Even people who lived in the same house with 
him never suspected how rapidly death was approach- 
ing. He had come down, as he generally did in the 
evening, and talked for a long time with his com- 

264 



Bfetfnsutsbefc flDen anfc TJGiomen 

panions about the sermons which they had just heard. 
That evening he went to bed earlier than usual. The 
next day, February 23, 1677, he came once more 
downstairs, before church-time to speak with his 
friends. In the meantime Dr. Ludwig Meyer, of 
Amsterdam, to whom Spinoza had written, arrived. 
He gave his suffering friend such medical assist- 
ance as he could ; and, amongst other orders, desired 
the landlady to kill a chicken, that Spinoza might 
have some soup for dinner. This was done, and Spi- 
noza ate the soup with a good appetite. When Van 
der Spyck and his wife returned from the afternoon 
service, they heard that Spinoza had died about three 
o'clock. Nobody was with him in his last hours ex- 
cept the doctor from Amsterdam, who went away 
again the same evening." 

Kuno Fisher's Lecture on " The Life and Char- 
acter of Spinoza." 

Stael-Holstein (Anna Louise Germaine Necker, 
Baroness de), 1766-18 17. "I have loved God, my 
father and liberty! 1 

Stafford (William Howard, Viscount of), 
16 12- 1 680. " This block will be my pillow, and I 
shall repose there well, without pain, grief or fear." 
He was accused by Titus Oates of complicity in the 
Popish Plot, and was convicted of treason. He was 
probably innocent. His last words were spoken at 
the place of execution, and show how noble and calm 
was his spirit in the presence of death. 

265 



%ast TOorfcs of 

Stafford's brother accompanied him to the place of 
execution, weeping. " Brother," said he, " why do 
you grieve thus; do you see anything in my life or 
death which can cause you to feel any shame? Do 
I tremble like a criminal or boast like an Atheist? 
Come, be firm, and think only that this is my third 
marriage, that you are my bridesman." 

Lamartine's Cromwell. 

Stambuloff (Stefan N., ex-Prime Minister of 
Bulgaria, called "The Bismarck of Bulgaria"), 
1853-1895. " God protect Bulgaria." 

Stanley (Arthur Penrhyn, Dean of Westmin- 
ster, and the leader of the " Broad Church " party), 
181 5-1 881. "So far as I have understood what the 
duties of my office were supposed to he, in spite of 
every incompetence, I am yet humbly trustful that 1 
have sustained before the mind of the nation the 
extraordinary value of the Abbey as a religious, na- 
tional and liberal institution." Later he said : " The 
end has come in the way in which I most desired it 
should come. I could not have controlled it better. 
After preaching one of my sermons on the beatitudes, 
I had a most violent fit of sickness, took to my bed, 
and said immediately that I wished to die at West- 
minster. I am perfectly happy, perfectly satisfied; 
I have no misgivings." His last recorded words 
were : " I wish Vaughan to preach my funeral ser- 
mon, because he has known me longest." 

266 



H)fetin0iitebe& /iDen anfc Momen 

Steele (Miss Anne, the author of many beautiful 
and familiar hymns), 1716-1 778: "I know that 
my Redeemer liveth." The following lines are in- 
scribed on her tomb : 

Silent the lyre, and dumb the tuneful tongue, 
That sung on earth her dear Redeemer's praise; 

But now in heaven she joins the angelic song, 
In more harmonious, more exalted lays. 

Stephen (first Christian martyr), " Lord, lay not 
this sin to their charge." — Acts vii: 60. 

Stevens (Thaddeus, American statesman and 
opponent of slavery; a man of great ability and 
nobleness of spirit), 1793- 1868. 

Two colored clergymen called and asked leave to 
see Stevens and pray with him. He ordered them to 
be admitted ; and when they had come to his bedside, 
he turned and held out his hand to one of them. 
They sang a hymn and prayed. During the prayer he 
responded twice, but could not be understood. Soon 
afterward the Sisters of Charity prayed, and he 
seemed deeply affected. The doctor told him that he 
was dying. He made a motion with his head, but no 
other reply. One of the sisters asked leave to baptize 
him, and it was granted, but whether by Stevens or 
his nephew is not clear. She performed the cere- 
mony with a glass of water, a portion of which was 
poured upon his forehead. The end came before the 
beginning of the next day. He lay motionless for a 
few moments, then opened his eyes, took one look, 

267 



3Last movbs of 

placidly closed them, and, without a struggle, the 
great commoner had ceased to breathe. 

Samuel W. McCall: " Life of Stevens." 
On his monument reared over his grave are in- 
scribed by his direction, these words : " I repose in 
this quiet and secluded spot, not from any natural 
preference for solitude, but rinding other cemeteries 
limited as to race by charter rules, I have chosen this, 
that I might illustrate in my death the principles 
which I advocated through a long life, (the) equality 
of Man before his Creator." 

Stevenson (Robert Louis, English author), 
1850-1894. "What is that? 3 ' He felt a sudden 
pain in his head, and, clasping his forehead with 
both hands, he exclaimed, " What is that? " and soon 
after ceased to breathe. * 



1 According to a writer in the Chicago " Open Court," the 
main cause of the death of Robert Louis Stevenson was prob- 
ably his consumption of tobacco. Two years before his death 
he confessed that his bill for cigars amounted to $450 a year; 
and during the last six months of his life he smoked an aver- 
age of forty cigarettes per day, and often as many as eighty 
in twenty-four hours. Can any one wonder that this frightful 
habit induced chronic insomnia, to cure or lessen which he 
smoked all night, till narcosis of the brain brought on stupe- 
faction and temporary loss of consciousness — for weeks his 
nearest approach to refreshing slumber. His physician warned 
him in vain that he was burning life's candle at both ends, 
for he tried to write in spite of his misery; but he stuck to 
nicotine as the only specific for his nervousness, with the re- 
sult that was inevitable, — his death a year afterwards. — 

Mathews: " Nugce Litterarice." 

268 



2)tstin0Uisbefc flDen an£> Women 

The Academy tells this of Stevenson : " An old 
friend had set his beautiful lines to music : 

Under the wide and starry sky- 
Dig the grave and let me lie. 
Glad did I live, and gladly die, 

And I laid me down with a will. 
This be the verse you grave for me: 
Here he lies where he longed to be; 
Home is the sailor, home from the sea, 

And the hunter home from the hill. 

" He said one evening at his happy home in Mer- 
ton Abbey, before he started on his last journey, that, 
when out in the Sudan, he crooned himself to sleep 
night after night with those lines which had been 
set to music by his friend. It is fitting that he should 
lie at rest out there in the spacious country, under the 
wide and starry sky." 

Stonehouse (Sir James, English physician and 
clergyman), 1716-1795. " Precious salvation! 



>> 



Strozzi (Filippo, Florentine statesman), 1488- 
1538. He committed suicide while imprisoned by 
Cosmo de' Medici, the first Great Duke of Tuscany. 
As he was dying he cut with the point of his sword 
upon the mantel-piece, this line from Virgil : 
" Exariare aliquis nostris ex ossibus tilt or." 

Sumner (Charles, distinguished United States 
Senator and opponent of slavery. He was a man of 

269 



Xast Wor&s of 

great learning in history, political science and polite 
literature; and, notwithstanding the rare culture of 
his mind and tastes, he was always the defender of 
the poor and enslaved), 181 1-1874. " Sit down," to 
his friend, Hon. Samuel Hooper. As he uttered 
these words his heart ruptured, a terrible convulsion 
shook his frame, and death came at once. * 

A few hours before Sumner died Judge Hoar 
gave him a message from Ralph Waldo Emerson, 
to which Sumner replied with some difficulty, " Tell 
Emerson that I love and revere him." Over and 
over again he said to Judge Hoar, " Do not let the 
Civil Rights bill fail ! " To the last his mind was 
engaged upon the great problems of national interest 
that had occupied him during all the stormy days 
of the Civil War. 

1 Rupture of the heart, it is believed, was first described by 
Harvey; but since -his day several cases have been observed. 
Morgagni has recorded a few examples : Amongst them that 
of George II., who died suddenly, of this disease in 1760; and, 
what is very curious, Morgagni himself fell a victim to the 
same malady. Dr. Elliotson, in his Lumleyan Lecture on 
Diseases of the Heart, in 1839, stated that he had only seen 
one instance; but in the Cyclopaedia of Practical Medicine, 
Dr. Townsend gives a table of twenty-five cases, collected 
from various authors. Generally this accident is consequent 
upon some organic disease, such as fatty degeneration ; but it 
may arise from violent muscular exertion, or strong mental 
emotions. — Welby: "Mysteries of Life, Death and Futurity." 

Dr. William Stroud endeavors to prove, in his " The Phy- 
sical Cause of the Death of Christ," that our Saviour died 
upon the cross from rupture of the heart, produced by agony 
of mind. He says : " In the garden of Gethsemane Christ 
endured mental agony so intense that, had it not been limited 

27O 



HHstinguisbefc fibcn anfc Women 

Svetchine, or Swetchine (Sophia Soymonof, 
a Russian lady and writer), 1782- 1857. Madame 
Svetchine's last words were, " It will soon be time for 
mass. They must raise me." She was a most de- 
voted Roman Catholic. 

Swartz (Frederick Christian, Missionary in 
India), 1726-1798. "Had it pleased my Lord to 
spare me longer I should have been glad. I should 
then have been able to speak yet a word to the sick 
and poor; but His will be done! May He, in mercy, 
but receive me! Into Thy hands I commend my 
spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, Thou faithful 
God." After this his Malabar helpers sang a portion 
of a hymn and he endeavored to sing with them, but 
his strength failing, he soon expired in the arms of a 
native Christian. 

Swedenborg (Emanuel, Swedish seer, philoso- 
pher and theologian), 1688- 1772. "It is well; I 
thank you; God bless you." He told the Shear- 
smiths on what day he should die; and the servant 

by divine interposition, it would probably have destroyed his 
life without the aid of any other sufferings ; but having been 
thus mitigated, its effects were confined to violent palpitation 
of the heart, accompanied with bloody sweat. On the cross 
this agony was renewed, in conjunction with the ordinary suf- 
ferings incidental to that mode of punishment; and having at 
this time been allowed to proceed to its utmost extremity with- 
out restraint, occasioned sudden death by rupture of the heart, 
intimated by a discharge of blood and water from his side, 
when it was afterward pierced with a spear." 

271 



Xast Morfcs of 

remarked : " He was as pleased as I should have 
been if I was to have a holiday, or was going to some 
merry-making.' , 

His faculties were clear to the last. On Sunday 
afternoon, the 29th day of March, 1772, hearing the 
clock strike, he asked his landlady and her maid, who 
were both sitting at his bed-side, what o'clock it was ; 
and upon being answered it was five o'clock, he said 
— " It is well ; I thank you ; God bless you ; " and a 
little after, he gently departed. 1 

White's " Life and Writings of Swedenborg." 

Swift (Jonathan, Dean of Saint Patrick's, Dub- 
lin, and author of " The Tale of a Tub," and 



1 Swedenborg was buried in the vault of the Swedish 
Church in Prince's Square, on April 5, 1772. In 1790, in order 
to determine a question raised in debate, viz., whether Sweden- 
borg was really dead and buried, his wooden coffin was opened, 
and the leaden one was sawn across the breast. A few days 
after, a party of Swedenborgians visited the vault. " Various 
relics" (says White: "Life of Swedenborg," 2nd ed., 1868, p. 
675) "were carried off: Dr. Spurgin told me he possessed 
the cartilage of an ear. Exposed to the air, the flesh quickly 
fell to dust, and a skeleton was all that remained for subse- 
quent visitors. ... At a funeral in 1817, Granholm, an 
officer in the Swedish Navy, seeing the lid of Swedenborg's 
coffin loose, abstracted the skull, and hawked it about amongst 
London Swedenborgians, but none would buy. Dr. Wahlin, 
pastor of the Swedish Church, recovered what he supposed 
to be the stolen skull, had a cast of it taken, and placed it in 
the coffin in 1819. The cast which is sometimes seen in 
phrenological collections is obviously not Swedenborg's: it is 
thought to be that of a small female skull." 

272 



2>istinoui5befc ftocn nnb Women 

" Travels of Lemuel Gulliver "), 1667-1745. " It 
is folly; they had better leave it alone" to his house- 
keeper who informed him that the usual bonfires and 
illuminations were preparing to do honor to his birth- 
day. Some say his last words were, " Ah, a Ger- 
man! a prodigy, admit him! " spoken as Handel was 
announced. 

Talleyrand-Perigord (Charles Maurice, cele- 
brated French diplomatist), 1754- 1838, "I am suf- 
fering, sire, the pangs of the damned." Said to the 
king, Louis Phillippe, who enquired his condition. 

Louis Blanc (Histoire de Dix Ans. v. 2go) says 
that when Louis Philippe called upon Talleyrand 
during that prince's last hours, he enquired if he suf- 
fered : " Yes, comme un damne," answered Talley- 
rand; at which the king said under his breath, 
" What, already ? " (Quoi, deja ?) 

Talma (Frangois Joseph, " The Garrick of the 
French Stage "), 1770- 1826. " The worst is I can- 
not see." 

He was interred, according to his own directions, 
in the cemetery of Pere-la-Chaise, Paris, without any 
religious ceremony, I at funeral orations by Jouy and 
Arnault were delivered at the grave. To change, it is 
alleged, his resolution on this score, the Archbishop 
of Paris had sought an interview, but in vain. Tal- 
ma's conduct, it is supposed, proceeded from his 
resentment at the excommunication pronounced by 
the Roman Catholic Church against actors. 

273 



Xast Morfcs of 

Tasso (Torquato), 1544- 1595. "Lord, into Thy 
hands I commend my spirit" 

When a guest of Rome, lodged in the Vatican, 
waiting to be crowned with laurel — the first poet so 
honored since Petrarch — he sighed to flee away and 
be at rest. Growing very ill, he obtained permission 
to retire to the Monastery of Saint Onofrio. When 
the physician informed him that his last hour was 
near, he embraced him, expressed his gratitude for so 
sweet an announcement, and then, lifting his eyes, 
thanked God that after so tempestuous a life he was 
now brought to a calm haven. The Pope having 
granted the dying poet a plenary indulgence, he said, 
" This is the chariot on which I hope to go crowned, 
not with laurel as a poet into the capital, but with 
glory as a saint into heaven." 

Alger's " Genius of Solitude" 

Just before his death he requested Cardinal Cyn- 
thia to collect his works and commit them to the 
flames, especially his " Jerusalem Delivered." 

Taylor (Bayard, traveller, poet and lecturer; the 
translator of Goethe's "Faust"), 1825-1878. <c I 
want, oh, you know what I mean, the stuff of life" 

Taylor (Edward T., an American preacher 
known as "Father Taylor"), 1793-1871. "Why, 
certainly, certainly! " These words were spoken to a 
friend who asked him if Jesus was precious. He be- 
came a sailor, and was for many years the chaplain 
of the Seamen's Bethel, Boston. 

274 



Dtstmamsbefc flDen anfc> TOomen 

Taylor (Jane, writer for the young), 1783- 1823. 
" Are we not children, all of us? " 

Taylor (Jeremy, distinguished bishop in the Eng- 
lish Church, and author of " Holy Living and 
Dying." He has been called " The Shakspeare of 
Divines "), 1 613-1667. " My trust is in God." 

Taylor (John, " The Water Poet." He followed 
for a long time the occupation of waterman on the 
Thames, and later kept a public house in Phoenix 
Alley, Long Acre), 1580-1654. "How sweet it is 
to rest! " 

Taylor (Rev. Dr. Rowland), -1555. He said 
as he was going to martyrdom, " I shall this day de- 
ceive the worms in Hadley churchyard." 1 And 
when he came within two miles of Hadley, " Now," 
said he, " lack I but two stiles ; and I am even at my 

1 Being asked by the sheriff to explain these words, he said : 
" I am as you see, a man that hath a very great carcass, which 
I thought should have been buried in Hadley churchyard, if 
I had died in my bed, as I well hoped I should have done. 
But herein I see I was deceived. And there are a great num- 
ber of worms in Hadley churchyard, which should have had 
jolly feeding upon this carrion which they have looked for 
many a day. But now I know we be deceived, both I and 
they; for this carcass must be burnt to ashes, and so shall 
they lose their bait and feeding that they looked to have had 
of it." Fox, the martyrologist, adds that, " when the sheriff 
and his company heard these words they were amazed, and 
looked at one another, marvelling at the man's constant mind, 
that thus without all fear made but a jest at the cruel torment 
and death now at hand prepared for him." 

275 



Xast TTClor&s of 

Father's house." His last words were, " Lord, receive 
my spirit." 

Taylor (Zachary, American general and twelfth 
President of the United States), 1784- 1850. " I am 
about to die. I expect the summons soon. I have en- 
deavored to discharge all my official duties faithfully. 
I regret nothing, but am sorry that I am about to 
leave my friends." 

Tenderden (Lord), " Gentlemen of the jury, you 
will now consider of your verdict." 

Tennent (William, Pastor of Presbyterian 
Church in Freehold, N. J. His name has been ren- 
dered famous by his peculiar experience which at the 
time attracted the attention of the entire country. 
During an attack of fever, he fell into a trance which 
continued three days. He was supposed to be dead, 
and was prepared for burial ; but suddenly he recov- 
ered, and gave a description of what he had seen in 
the Heavenly world. He never doubted to the last 
day of his life that he had seen the New Jerusalem 
during the three days of his trance. Elias Boudinot 
published a circumstantial account of the wonder- 
ful vision), 1 705- 1 777. "I am sensible of the vio- 
lence of my disorder, and that it is accompanied 
with symptoms of approaching dissolution; but, 
blessed be God, I have no wish to live, if it should be 
His will to call me hence." 

276 



Disttngutsbefc ffocn ant) Women 

Tennyson (Alfred, Lord, Poet-laureate of Eng- 
land), 1 809- 1 892. " I have opened it." 9 These are 
the last words of the poet that have been made public ; 
later he bade his family farewell, but what he said 
has never been published. 

His last food was taken at a quarter of four, and 
he tried to read, but could not. He exclaimed, " I 
have opened it." Whether this referred to the 
Shakspeare, opened by him at 

Hang there like fruit, my soul, 
Till the tree die, 

which he always called among the tenderest lines in 
Shakspeare, or whether one of his last poems, of 
which he was fond, was running through his head I 
cannot tell: 

Fear not, thou, the hidden purpose of that Power 

Which alone is great, 
Nor the myriad world, his shadow, nor the silent 

Opener of the Gate. 

He then spoke his last words, a farewell blessing to 
my mother and myself. 

For the next hours the full moon flooded the room 
and the great landscape outside with light; and we 
watched in solemn stillness. His patience and quiet 
strength had power upon those who were nearest and 
dearest to him; we felt thankful for the love and the 
utter peace of it all; and his own lines of comfort 
from " In Memoriam " were strongly borne in upon 
us. He was quite restful, holding my wife's hand, 

*77 



%ast TBGlorfcs of 

and, as he was passing away, I spoke over him his 
own prayer, " God accept him ! Christ receive him ! " 
because I knew that he would have wished it. 
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, a Memoir by his son. 

Terchout (Adele— "La Comete"). The gay 
and thoughtless life of this beautiful young woman 
ended in sad regrets and bitter remembrances, and 
yet there is some slight hope that there was with her 
at last a thought real, if not deep, of better things.* 

Does any one remember a beautiful girl who went 
by the nickname of " La Comete," and flashed 
through the Parisian world during the last year of 
the Second Empire ? She was called " Comet " on 
account of the exceeding length and loveliness of her 
golden hair. Theophile Gautier wrote a sonnet to 
her, Cabanel painted her portrait, Worth dressed 
her, and Leon Cugnot took her as the model of his 
statue, " La Baigneuse." Her real name was Adele 
Terchout, and just before the Franco-German war 
broke out she declined an offer of marriage from 
an elderly duke, with a very ancient escutcheon. At 
that time she owned one of the finest mansions in 
the Champs Elysees, had twelve horses in her stables 
and a bushel of diamonds in her dressing-case. Last 
week this dazzling creature died in a Parisian hospi- 
tal absolutely destitute, and the disease which carried 
her off was the most hideous that could befall a 
pretty woman — a lupus vorax, or cancer in the face, 
which totally disfigured her. Like Zola's " Nana," 

278 



Bistinguisbefc /iDen an& TKHomen 

the only vestige left of her beauty when she died was 
her matchless hair, which measured nearly five feet. 

London Truth. 

Theophrastus (eminent Greek philosopher. He 
was a favorite pupil of Aristotle whom he succeeded 
as President of the Lyceum b. c. 322), about b. c. 
374-286. This philosopher's last words are not re- 
corded, but on his death-bed he accused Nature of 
cruelty. He charged her with having given a long 
life to stags and crows, and only a short one to men 
and women who are so much better able to use for 
their own good and that of others length of days. 
He declared that human beings needed long life for 
the perfection of art. He complained that as soon 
as he had begun to perceive the beauty of the world 
he was called upon to die. 1 

Theresa or Teresa (" Saint/' Spanish nun, au- 
thor of a number of devotional books, a visionary of 
whom many wonderful miracles are related. She 
was canonized by Pope Gregory XV.), 15 15-1582. 
" Over my spirit Hash and -float in divine radiancy 
the bright and glorious visions of the world to which 
I go." The claim of celestial illumination was made 
by her throughout her entire life and in the hour of 
death, but just what were her last words is very un- 
certain. 



' Thus also did Themistocles, the most renowned of Grecian 
generals, grieve that when he had acquired the wisdom neces- 
sary for a useful life, it was time to die. 

279 



Xast Mor&s of 

At her death-bed the bystanders beheld her already 
in glory ; to one she appeared in the midst of angels, 
another saw floating over her head a heavenly light 
that descended and hovered about her, 1 another dis- 
covered spiritual beings clothed in white entering her 
cell, another saw a white dove fly from her mouth up 
to heaven, while at the same time a dead tree near the 
sacred spot suddenly burst into the fullness of 
bloom. 2 



1 The luminous faces and bodies of martyrs and saints are 
common enough in the chronicles of mediaeval miracles. Some 
modern physicians think there were physiological causes for 
the strange and, at the time, startling phenomena. 

Bartholin, in his treatise " De Luce Hominum et Brutorum " 
(1647), gives an account of an Italian lady whom he desig- 
nates as " mulier splendens," whose body shone with phos- 
phoric radiations when gently rubbed with dry linen; and 
Dr. Kane, in his last voyage to the polar regions, witnessed 
almost as remarkable a case of phosphorescence. A few cases 
are recorded by Sir H. Marsh, Professor Donovan and other 
undoubted authorities, in which the human body, shortly be- 
fore death, has presented a pale, luminous appearance. 

On the eve of St. Alcuin's death (May 19th, 804), the entire 
monastery was enveloped in a mysterious light, so that many 
thought the building was on fire. The soul of the saint was 
seen to ascend in the form of a dove, and the spectators heard 
celestial music in the air. — Early Superstitions. 

The soul of St. Engelbert while going up to heaven was so 
bright that St. Hermann mistook it for the moon. 

Andrew Jackson Davis (the " Poughkeepsie Seer") records 
that while in the clairvoyant condition he saw the entire pro- 
cess of the soul's disengagement from the body. — " The Great 
Harmonia," vol. 1, p. 163. 

2 It was commonly believed that the immortal soul escaped 

280 



SHstfuGuisbefc flDen anfc TOomen 

After her death she appeared to a nun and said that 
she had not died of disease, but of the intolerable fire 
of divine love. 

Salazar: " Anamnesis Sanctorum Hispanorum." 

Thoreau (Henry David, American author and 
naturalist) , 1817-1862. " I leave this world without 
a regret." 

He was bred to no profession; and it is said that 
he never went to church, never voted, and never paid 
a tax to the state though he was imprisoned for not 
doing so. He ate no flesh, drank no wine, never 
knew the use of tobacco, and never (though a natur- 
alist) used either trap or gun. — Emerson. 

He lived in the simplest manner; he sometimes 
practised the business of land-surveyor. In 1845 he 
built a small frame house on the shore of Walden 
Pond, near Concord, where he lived two years as a 
hermit, in studious retirement. He published an ac- 
count of this portion of his life, in a small book en- 
titled " Walden." — Lippincott. 

Thoreau was a kind and good man, but a multitude 
of eccentricities separated him from the average life 

from the dead body through the mouth. Sometimes it passed 
out under the form of a bird, and sometimes it seemed to be 
a vapor. The appearance of the departing soul is mentioned 
as a known fact, by the celebrated mystic, Jacob Bohmen, in 
his curious book, " The Three Principles," where it is de- 
scribed as that of " a blue vapor going forth out of the mouth 
of a dying man, which maketh a strong smell all over the 
chamber." 

28l 



Xast TKRor&s of 

of man and removed him from the common sympathy 
of his race. His little house on the shore of Wal- 
den Pond he constructed with his own hands, be- 
cause he thought that men should be able to do as 
much as the birds who build their own nests. The 
entire house cost him less than thirty dollars ; and in 
it he lived at an expense of about twenty-seven cents 
a week. The house had neither lock nor curtain, and 
was unprotected day and night. The door was sel- 
dom closed, and the window was often wide-open in 
the midst of a winter storm. " I am no more lonely," 
he wrote, " than Walden Pond itself. What com- 
pany has that, I pray? And yet it has not the blue 
devils, but blue angels in it, in the azure tint of its 
waters." It is said that he could tell the day of 
each month by the trees and flowers. 

Thurlow (Edward, Lord Chancellor in the reign 
of George III. ) , 1732-1806. " I'll be shot if I don't 
believe I'm dying." 

Tiberius (Claudius Nero, Roman Emperor), b. 
c. 42 — a. d. 37. Finding himself dying, he took his 
signet ring off his finger, and held it awhile, as if he 
would deliver it to somebody ; but put it again on his 
finger, and lay for some time, with his left hand 
clenched, and without stirring; when suddenly sum- 
moning his attendants, and no one answering the call, 
he rose ; but his strength failing him, he fell down at 
a short distance from his bed. — Seneca. 

282 



SUstmauisbefc rtDen anfc Women 

He died without appointing his successor, but the 
people cared little for that. They rejoiced at his 
death, and ran through the streets of Rome crying, 
" Away with Tiberius to the Tiber." 

Tilden (Samuel Jones, distinguished American 
lawyer and politician. He was twice a representa- 
tive in the Legislature of the State of New York, a 
member of two Constitutional Conventions, Gover- 
nor of the State of New York for two years, and a 
candidate for the Presidency of the United States), 
1814-1886. " Water." 

During the closing hours of life he suffered greatly 
from thirst. 

Timrod (Henry, American poet), 1829- 1867. 
"Never mind, I shall soon drink of the river of 
Eternal Life," on finding that he could no longer 
swallow water." 

" An unquenchable thirst consumed him. Nothing 
could allay that dreadful torture. He whispered as 
I placed the water to his lips, ' Don't you remember 
that passage I once quoted to you from " King 
John?" I had always such a horror of quenchless 
thirst, and now I suffer it ! ' He alluded to the 
passage : — 

And none of you will let the Winter come, 
To thrust his icy fingers in my maw ! 

" Just a day or two before he left on a visit to you 
at * Copse Hill,' in one of our evening rambles he had 

283 



Xast Morfcs of 

repeated the passage to me with a remark on the 
extraordinary force of the words. 

" Katie took my place by him at five o'clock (in 
the morning), and never again left his side. The last 
spoonful of water she gave him he could not swallow. 
' Never mind/ he said, ' I shall soon drink of the 
river of eternal Life/ 

" Shortly after he slept peacefully in Christ. ,, 
From a letter by Timrod's sister. 

Tindal (Matthew, celebrated author and infidel), 
1 65 7- 1 73 3. " O God — if there be a God — / desire 
Thee to have mercy on me." 

Tindal is particularly celebrated for two publica- 
tions, the first, issued in 1706, being entitled, "The 
Rights of the Christian Church Asserted against the 
Romish and all other Priests ; " and the other, pub- 
lished in 1730, called, " Christianity as Old as the 
Creation, or the Gospel a Republication of the Re- 
ligion of Nature." 

Titus (Flavius Vespasianus, Roman Emperor. 
He was called by his subjects, " The love and delight 
of the human race"), 40-81. "My life is taken 
from me, though I have done nothing to deserve it; 
for there is no action of mine of which I should re- 
pent, but one." What that one action was he did 
not say. 

Toplady (Rev. Augustus Montague, English 
Calvinistic clergyman and vicar of Broad Henbury, 

284 



©istinautebefc ilDen an& Hfflomen 

Devonshire. He was the author of several contro- 
versial works and of a number of beautiful hymns, 
chief among which is " Rock of Ages "), 1740- 1778. 
" No mortal man can live after the glories which God 
has manifested to my soul. 3 ' * 

Turenne (Henry de la, Vicomte, famous French 
general, killed at Salzbach in July, 1675), 161 1- 
1675. " 1 do not mean to he killed to-day." Said 
just before he was struck by a cannon-ball. 

Tyndale, or Tindale (William, the venerable 
martyr and translator of the Bible), 1484- 15 36. 
" Lord, open the eyes of the King of England." He 
was first strangled and afterward burnt. 

The merits of Tyndale must ever be recognized 



1 Dr. Moore states that when the vital flame was flickering, 
the heart was faltering with every pulse, and every breath 
was a convulsion, he said to a dying believer, who had not 
long before been talking in broken words of undying love, 
"Are you in pain?" and the reply, with apparently the last 
breath, was, " It is delightful ! " In another person, in whom 
a gradual disease had so nearly exhausted the physical powers 
that the darkness of death had already produced blindness, 
the sense of God's love was so overpowering, that every ex- 
pression for many hours referred to it in rapturous words, 
such as, " This is life — this is heaven — God is love — I need not 
faith — I have the promise." It is easy to attribute such ex- 
pressions to delirium; but this does not alter their character, 
nor the reality of the state of the soul which produces them. 
"Whether a dying man can maintain any continued attention 
to things through his senses, we need not inquire. It is enough 
for him, if, in the spirit, he possesses the peace and joy of 
believing. — The Use of the Body in Relation to the Mind. 

285 



ftast movbs of 

and honored by all who enjoy the English Bible, for 
their authorized version of the New Testament has 
his for its basis. He made good his early boast, that 
plough-boys should have the Word of God. His 
friends speak of his great simplicity of heart, and 
commend his abstemious habits, his zeal and his in- 
dustry ; while even the imperial procurator who pros- 
ecuted him styles him "homo, doctus, pius et bonus." 

Tyndall (John, English physicist, author of many 
scientific books, chief among which are " Heat Con- 
sidered as a Mode of Motion," " Forms of Water in 
Clouds and Rivers, Ice and Glaciers,' * and " Floating 
Matter in the Air"), 1820- It is uncertain what 
were the last words of Prof. Tyndall, but the last 
words which he wrote for publication were in re- 
sponse to a request from an American syndicate for a 
Christmas message to his American friends. The 
message closed with these words : " I choose the 
nobler part of Emerson, when, after various disen- 
chantments, he exclaims, ' I covet truth ! ' The glad- 
ness of true heroism visits the heart of him who is 
really competent to say that." 

Tyng (Dudley A., a young and gifted clergyman 
whose last words furnished the inspiration for Rev. 
Dr. Dufheld's popular hymn, " Stand up for Jesus "). 
"Know Him? He is my Saviour — my all. Father, 
stand up for Jesus! " 

Leaving his study for a moment, he went to the 
286 









SHstinsufsbeb ffocn ant> Momen 

barn floor, where a mule was at work on a horse- 
power, shelling corn. Patting him on the neck, the 
sleeve of his silk study gown caught in the cogs of 
the wheel, and his arm was torn out by the roots. 
His death occurred in a few hours. When he was 
dying his father said to him, " Dudley, your mother 
has your hand in hers, can you press it a little that she 
may know you recognize her ? " The young man 
made no response. Later his father said, " Dudley, 
do you know the Lord Jesus Christ ? " He started, 
and said, " Know Him ? He is my Saviour — my all. 
Father, stand up for Jesus ! " 

Usher (James, Archbishop), 1580-1656. "Lord, 
forgive my sins; especially my sins of omission." 
His last words are sometimes given thus, " God be 
merciful to me, a sinner." 

Valdes (Gabriel de la Concepcion, commonly 
known as Placido), — 1844. "Here! fire here!" 

Valdes was a full-blooded negro. He was exe- 
cuted with twenty other persons, for conspiracy to 
liberate the black population, the slaves of the Span- 
ish inhabitants of Cuba. The execution took place 
at Havana, July, 1844. Seated on a bench, with his 
back turned, as ordered, to the soldiers appointed to 
shoot him, he said : " Adios, mundo ; no hay piedad 
para mi. Soldados, fuego." " Adieu, O world; here 
is no pity for me. Soldiers, fire." Five balls entered 
his body. He arose, turned to the soldiers, and said, 

287 



last TKHor&s of 

his face wearing an expression of superhuman cour- 
age: — "Will no one have pity on me? Here!" 
pointing to his heart, " fire here ! " At that instant 
two balls pierced his heart and he fell dead. Little 
is known of him but his death, which was described 
in the Heraldo, of Madrid. " The Poems of a Cuban 
Slave," edited by Dr. Madden, are believed to have 
been the composition of the gifted Valdes. 

Vanderbilt (Cornelius " Commodore," Presi- 
dent of New York Central Railroad under whose 
management that road was consolidated with the 
Hudson River Railroad. He laid the foundation of 
an extensive railroad system and of an immense fam- 
ily fortune), 1794- 1877. " Yes, yes, sing that for 
me. I am poor and needy'' to one who was singing 
to him the familiar hymn, " Come, ye sinners, poor 
and needy." 

Vane (Sir Henry), 1612-1662. "Blessed be God, 
I have kept a conscience void of offence to this day, 
and have not deserted the righteous cause for which I 
suffer." 

Vane was condemned for treason, and beheaded 
June 14, 1662. 

Vane, young in years, but in sage counsels old, 

Than whom a better senator ne'er held 

The helm of Rome, when gowns, not arms, repelled 

The fierce Epirat and the African bold, 

Both spiritual power and civil thou hast learned: 

Therefore on thy firm hand religion leans 

In peace, and reckons thee her eldest son. — Milton. 

288 



S>tstin0tttebe& /IDen an£> Momen 

Vanini (Lucilio), 1585-1619. " Mi in ex- 
tremis prae timore imbellis sudor; ego imperturbatus 
morior." See Grammond, Hist. Gal. Hi. 211. 

After travelling through Germany, Holland and 
England, he went to Toulouse, where he was ar- 
rested and condemned by the parliament to be burned 
alive. He wrote " Amphitheatrum ^Eternse Provi- 
dential," and " De Admirandis Naturse Arcanis," 
for which latter work he suffered in 16 19. 

Vespasian (Titus Flavius, Roman Emperor), 
9-79. "An Emperor ought to die standing." A 
short time before this he said in attending to the 
apotheosis of the emperors, " I suppose I shall soon 
be a god." 

Veuster de (Joseph, the " Leper-Priest of Molo- 
kai." When he became " religious " he took the 
name of Damien, after the second of two brothers, 
Cosmos and Damien, both physicians, martyrs and 
saints in the Roman Catholic Church. He is com- 
monly known as "Father Damien"), — 1889. 
" Weill God's will be done. He knows best. My 
work with all its faults and failures, is in His hands, 
and before Easter I shall see my Saviour." 

There has been much discussion with regard to the 
character and work of Damien. The Rev. C. M. 
Hyde, D. D., of Honolulu, a missionary of high re- 
pute, and who had personal knowledge of the leper- 

289 



Xaat Morfcs of 

priest, wrote a letter to the Rev. H. B. Gage, which 
was published in " The Sydney Presbyterian " of 
October 26, 1889. In that letter he said : 

" The simple truth is, he (Father Damien) was a 
coarse, dirty man, headstrong and bigoted. He was 
not sent to Molokai, but went there without orders ; 
did not stay at the leper settlement (before he be- 
came himself a leper), but circulated freely over the 
whole island (less than half the island is devoted to 
the lepers), and he came often to Honolulu. He had 
no hand in the reforms and improvements inaugu- 
rated, which were the work of our Board of Health, 
as occasion required and means were provided. He 
was not a pure man in his relations with women, and 
the leprosy of which he died should be attributed to 
his vices and carelessness. Others have done much 
for the lepers, our own ministers, the government 
physicians, and so forth, but never with the Catholic 
idea of meriting eternal life." 

To the statements of Dr. Hyde, Robert Louis 
Stevenson replied in most violent language, of which 
the following is a sample : 

" You remember that you have done me several 
courtesies for which I was prepared to be grateful. 
But there are duties which come before gratitude, 
and offences which justly divide friends, far more 
acquaintances. Your letter to the Rev. H. B. Gage 
is a document which, in my sight, if you had filled me 
with bread when I was starving, if you had set up 

290 



Dfstfnoutsbeb flDen anfc TOomen 

to nurse my father when he lay a-dying, would yet 
absolve me from the bonds of gratitude." 

After this and more vituperation follows an analy- 
sis of Dr. Hyde's letter, and an elaborate defense of 
Father Damien. Men will differ in their opinions of 
the leper-priest, and, no doubt, much may be said 
on both sides of the case ; but to the compiler of this 
work, who, in his own home, heard the story in all 
its details from the lips of Dr. Hyde, the beatification 
of Damien is, to say the least, a grotesque absurdity. 

Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria, Queen of Eng- 
land and Ireland and Empress of India), 1 8 19- 190 1. 
It is said, though upon what authority the compiler 
is unable to discover, that the last words of Queen 
Victoria were, " Oh, that peace may come" It is 
understood that the Queen was opposed to the war 
in South Africa, and her last words would seem 
to indicate that her thoughts, even in the hour of 
death, were busy with the unhappy conflict 

Vidocq (Eugene Francois, famous French detect- 
ive), 1 775- 1 857. "How great is the forgiveness 
for such a life I " 

He was successively a thief, soldier, deserter, and 
gambler before he entered the public service, and was 
often imprisoned for his offences. About 18 10 he 
enlisted in the police at Paris. His success as a de- 
tective has scarcely been paralleled in history. 

Lippincott: "Biographical History." 
291 



Xast Worfcs of 

He retired to Paris and there lived quietly in lodg- 
ings until 1857, when, at the great age of eighty- 
two, he was struck down with paralysis. On finding 
his end near, he sent for a confessor, and — so whim- 
sical a thing is human nature — he greatly edified the 
holy man by dying like a saint. One trifling pec- 
cadillo he perhaps forgot to mention. The breath 
had scarcely left his body, when ten lovely damsels, 
each provided with a copy of his will, which left her 
all his property arrived. Alas for all the ten! 
Vidocq had always loved the smiles of beauty, and 
had obtained them by a gift which cost him nothing. 
He had left his whole possessions to his landlady. 
Smith: "Romance of History." 

Villars de ( Claude Louis Hector, famous French 
general), 165 3- 1734. "I ahvays deemed him more 
fortunate than myself." Said to his confessor, who 
told him that the Duke of Berwick had perished by 
a cannon ball. 

Villiers (George, First Duke of Buckingham, 
He was assassinated by John Felton in 1628), 1592- 
1628. " God's wounds! the villain hath killed me." 

John Felton, gentleman, having watched his op- 
portunity, thrust a long knife, with a white heft, he 
had secretly about him, with great strength and vio- 
lence, into his breast, under his left pap, cutting the 
diaphragma and lungs, and piercing the very heart 
itself. The Duke having received the stroke, and 

292 



Dtstinouisbefc /iDen anb TOomen 

instantly clapping his right hand on his sword-hilt, 
cried out, " God's wounds ! the villain hath killed 
me." — Book of Death. 

Virgil (Publius Virgilius Maro, most illustrious 
of Latin poets), B.C. 70-19. 

Upon a visit to Megara, a town in the neighbor- 
hood of Athens, he was seized with a languor, which 
increased during the ensuing voyage ; and he expired 
a few days after landing at Brundisium, on the 22d 
of September in the fifty-second year of his age. He 
desired that his body might be carried to Naples, 
where he had passed many happy years ; and that the 
following distich, written in his last sickness, should 
be inscribed upon his tomb : 

Mantua me genuit: Calabri rapuere, tenet nunc 
Parthenope, Cecerie pascua, rura, duces. 

Vitellius (Aulus, Emperor of Rome), 15-69. 
" Yet I was once your emperor" to the soldiers of 
Vespasian who were putting him to death by a lin- 
gering torture whilst they were dragging him by a 
horse into the Tiber. 

Voltaire (a name capriciously assumed by Fran- 
cois Marie Arouet, and made by him more celebrated 
than any other of which we read in the literary his- 
tory of the eighteenth century), 1694-1778. " Adieu 
my dear Maraud; I am dying" said to his valet. 

According to a document discovered by Mr. 
Schuyler, American Consul at Moscow, bearing on 

293 



Xast Worfcs of 

the death of Voltaire, and which was forwarded to 
M. Taine, and published in the Journal des Debats, 
the last words of Voltaire were, " Take care of 
Maria," meaning his niece, Madame Denys. These 
words were addressed to one of his servants. 

It has also been said that his last words were: 
" For the love of God, don't mention that Man — 
allow me to die in peace ! " to one who called his 
attention to our Saviour. 

There are several widely divergent accounts of the 
last hours of Voltaire, and perhaps it is not possible 
to know just what measure of truth is to be found 
in any one of them. It is said that on his death-bed 
he cursed D'Alembert and denounced his infidel 
associates; that he made in the presence of Abbe 
Gaultier, the Abbe Mignot, and the Marquis de Vil- 
leveille a declaration of his wish to be reconciled to 
" the church ; " that he spent much time in alter- 
nately praying and blaspheming. These facts, if 
facts they really are, rest upon the statements of 
Mons. Tronchin, the Protestant physician from 
Geneva, who attended him almost to the last, and 
who was so horrified at what he witnessed that he 
said, "Pour voir toutes les furies d'Oreste, il n'y 
avait qu'a se trouver a la mort de Voltaire" The 
Marechal de Richelieu, also, was terrified at what 
he saw and heard, and left the bed-side of Voltaire 
declaring that his nerves were not strong enough 
to endure the strain. Tronchin's statements are de- 
nied by Vilette and Monke, who represent the last 

294 



EHstfnauisbefc rtDen anfc Momen 

hours of the great Frenchman as calm and peaceful. 
The exact truth will, it is most likely, never be 
known beyond all question, and yet, to the compiler 
of this book, the weight of evidence seems to be 
with Tronchin rather than with those who have im- 
peached his testimony. 

Wagner (Richard Wilhelm, German composer, 
among whose works are " Rheingold," " Valkyria," 
"Siegfried" and "The Twilight of the Gods"), 
1813-1883. "Mir ist sehr schlecht." 

At three o'clock he went to dinner with the fam- 
ily, but just as they were assembled at table and the 
soup was being served he suddenly sprang up, cried 
out, " Mir ist sehr schlecht (I feel very bad)," and 
fell back dead from an attack of heart disease. 

Waller (Edmund, English poet), 1605- 1687. 
He died repeating lines from Virgil. 

Warham (William, Archbishop of Canterbury), 
1450-1532. " That is enough to last till I get to 
Heaven." Said to his servant who told him he had 
still left thirty pounds. 

Warner (Charles Dudley, author and lecturer), 
1829- 1900. " I am not well, and should like to lie 
down — will you call me in ten minutes? Thank 
you. You are very kind — in ten minutes — remem- 
ber! " 

Among Mr. Warner's acquaintances was a col- 
ored man, to whom he gave books to encourage his 

295 



Xast Timor&s of 

desire to read, particularly books connected with the 
history of the colored race, upon which Mr. Warner 
was an authority. 

Mr. Warner probably intended to call on this man, 
as he was in the neighborhood of his house when he 
was stricken. Feeling ill, he asked permission at a 
house to sit down, then to lie down, requesting to 
be called in ten minutes. When the woman of the 
house went to call him he was dead, 

Washington (George, " the Father of His 
Country," x and the first President of the United 
States), 1 732- 1 799. "It is well" Some say his 
last words were, " I am about to die, and I am not 
afraid to die." 

Washington said to Mr. Lear, his secretary, " I 
am just going; have me decently buried, and do not 
let my body be put into the vault until three days 
after I am dead — do you understand me ? " On his 
secretary's replying that he did, the dying man 
added, " It is well." About an hour later he quietly 
withdrew his hand from Mr. Lear's, and felt his 
own pulse, and immediately expired without a strug- 
gle. 



1 " And Meonothai begat Ophrah : and Seraiah begat Joab, 
the father of the Valley of Charashim; for they were crafts- 
men." — 1 Chronicles iv: 14; Julius Caesar was called the 
Father of his country; Cosmo de Medici is so described on 
his tombstone; Andrea Doria has upon his statue at Genoa, 
Pater Patrice; and Louis XVIII. of France was commonly 
called the Father of the Country. 

296 



Dtstinguisbefc /n>en anD Women 

A coffin of mahogany, lined with lead and cov- 
ered within and without with black velvet, was made 
on the following day at Alexandria. On a plate at 
the head of the coffin was inscribed " Surge ad Judi- 
cium; " on another, in the middle, " Gloria Deo" 
while on a small silver plate in the form of an 
American shield appeared the inscription : 

GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
Born Feb. 22, 1732. 
Died Dec. 14, 1799. 

His body was first placed in the family vault on 
the Mount Vernon estate. In his will, Washington 
left directions and plans for a new vault, which was 
built afterward, and to which his remains were 
transferred in 1832. The front of his tomb has an 
ante-chamber, built of red brick, about twelve feet 
in height, with a large iron gateway. It was erected 
for the accommodation of two marble coffins, or 
sarcophagi, one for Washington, the other for Mrs. 
Washington; they stand in full view of the visitor. 
Over the gateway, upon a marble slab, are the words : 

" Within this enclosure rest the remains of General George 
Washington." 

Over the vault door inside, are the words : 

" He that Believeth in Me, Though he were Dead, yet 
Shall he Live Again." 

Napoleon, who was then First Consul of the 
French, issued the following order under date of 

297 



%ast TOUorfcs of 

February 18, 1800 : " Washington is no more ! That 
great man fought against tyranny. He firmly es- 
tablished the liberty of his country. His memory will 
be ever dear to the French people, as it must be to 
every friend of freedom in the two worlds, and es- 
pecially to the French soldiers, who, like him and 
the Americans, bravely fight for liberty and equality. 
The First Consul in consequence orders that, for ten 
days, black crepes shall be suspended to all the stand- 
ards and flags of the Republic." 

Watts (Isaac, English divine and sacred poet. 
He is the author of many beautiful and popular 
hymns), 1674- 1748. "It is a great mercy to me 
that I have no manner of fear or dread of death. I 
could, if God please, lay my head back and die with- 
out terror this afternoon/' 

Webster (Daniel), 1782-1852. "I still live!" 
This was his last coherent utterance. Later he mut- 
tered something about poetry, and his son repeated 
to him one of the stanzas of " Gray's Elegy." He 
heard it and smiled. 1 

He inquired whether it were likely that he should 



1 The United States has produced no greater orator than 
Daniel Webster; nevertheless, in the minds of many, he fell 
from his most exalted station as the interpreter of the public 
conscience, when he delivered, March 7, 1850, his famous 
speech, assenting to the Fugitive Slave Law. It was this 
speech that called forth Whittier's poem " Ichabod," which 
has been often compared with Browning's " Lost Leader." 

298 



Btstmautebefc /iDen anb IKHomen 

again eject blood from his stomach before death, 
and being told that it was improbable, he asked, 
" Then what shall you do ? " Being answered that 
he would be supported by stimulants, and rendered 
as easy as possible by the opiates that had suited him 
so well, he inquired, at once, if the stimulant should 
not be given immediately; anxious again to know 
if the hand of death were not already upon him. 
And on being told that it would not be then given, 
he replied, " When you give it to me, I shall know 
that I may drop off at once." 

Being satisfied on this point, and that he should, 
therefore, have a final warning, he said a moment 
afterwards, " I will, then, put myself in a position 
to obtain a little repose." In this he was successful. 
He had intervals of rest to the last; but on rousing 
from them he showed that he was still intensely 
anxious to preserve his consciousness, and to watch 
for the moment and act of his departure, so as to 
comprehend it. Awaking from one of these slum- 
bers, late in the night, he asked distinctly if he were 
alive, and on being assured that he was, and that his 
family was collected around his bed, he said in a 
perfectly natural tone, as if assenting to what had 
been told him, because he himself perceived that it 
was true, " I still live." These were his last co- 
herent and intelligible words. At twenty-three min- 
utes before three o'clock, without a struggle or a 
moan, all signs of life ceased to be visible. 

— Louis Gaylord Clark. 
299 



Xast motbs of 

Webster (Thomas, Professor of Geology in the 
London University, and author of " Encyclopaedia 
of Domestic Economy"), 1773- 1844. "Examine 
it for yourself." 

Webster (William, English clergyman and au- 
thor of " The Life of General Monk "), 1689-1758. 
"Peace." 

Weed (Thurlow, American journalist and poli- 
tician. He wrote " Letters from Europe and the 
West Indies," and for many years edited with 
marked ability, " The Albany Evening Journal"), 
1 797- 1 882. " I want to go home." 

During his last hours his mind wandered, and he 
thought himself in conversation with President Lin- 
coln and General Scott with regard to the Southern 
Confederacy. 

Wesley (Charles, English hymn-writer whose 
sacred songs are sung, in original or translation, all 
over the Christian world. He is the author of " Love 
divine, all love excelling," " Jesus, lover of my soul," 
and " Christ, the Lord, is risen to-day "), 1708- 1788. 
" I shall be satisfied with Thy likeness — satisfied! " 

Wesley (John, founder of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church), 1 703- 1 79 1. " The best of all is God 
is with us." 

His body lay in a kind of state in his chapel at 
London the day previous to his interment, dressed in 

300 



2>istinguisbeb /iDen an£> Women 

his clerical habit, with gown, cassock, and band, the 
old clerical cap on his head, a Bible in one hand, and 
a white handkerchief in the other. The funeral serv- 
ice was read by one of his old preachers. When 
he came to the part of the service, " Forasmuch as 
it hath pleased God to take unto himself the soul of 
our dear brother/' his voice changed, and he substi- 
tuted the word " father; " and the feeling with which 
he did this was such, that the congregation, who 
were shedding silent tears, burst at once into loud 
weeping.— "Southey's Life of Wesley.'' 

Wesley (Sarah, wife of Charles Wesley). 
" Open the gates! Open the gates! " 

Whitaker (William, English theologian, pro- 
fessor of Divinity at Cambridge, and translator of 
the " Liturgy of the Church " and " Nowell's Cate- 
chism " into Greek), 1547-1595. "Life or death 
is welcome to me; and I desire not to live, but so far 
as I may be serviceable to God and His church." 

White (Joseph Blanco. In Spain, where he was 
born, he was called Blanco, which he exchanged for 
its English equivalent. He wrote many interesting 
and useful books, but will be remembered longest 
for his exquisite sonnet, entitled " Night"), 1775- 
1841. "Now I die." 

He remained some days longer, chiefly in the state 
of one falling asleep, until the morning of the 20th, 
when he awoke, and with a firm voice and great 

301 



Xast TKHorfcs ot 

solemnity of manner, spoke only these words : " Now 
I die." He sat as one in the attitude of expectation, 
and about two hours afterward — it was as he had 
said. 

There was no apparent pain or struggle, and it was 
an inexpressible relief to behold, shortly after, the 
singular beauty and repose of features lately so wan 
and suffering; but there took place in the act of ex- 
piring, what we had observed in other cases after 
long exhaustion, but had never seen described. A 
sudden darkness beneath the surface, like the cloud- 
ing of a pure liquid from within; the immediate 
shadow of Death was passing from the forehead 
downwards, and leaving all clear again behind it as it 
moved along. 

Thorn's " Life of Joseph Blanco White" 

Compare the death-bed of the Deist, Joseph Blanco 
White, with that of poor Keats, and I think it must 
be admitted that both in faith and fortitude the 
former has immeasurably the advantage. It ought, 
however, to be recollected that Blanco White was 
older, and had had more time to gain strength of 
mind. But he was also of a more religious turn 
from the first. 

Memoirs and Letters of Sara Coleridge. 

Whitefield (George, founder of the Calvinistic 
Methodist Church, and chaplain to the Countess of 
Huntingdon), 17 14- 1770. "I am dying" He 
was standing by the open window gasping for 

302 



2>istin0utsbe& /iDen an& Women 

breath, as he uttered these words. A friend per- 
suaded him to sit down in a chair, and have a cloak 
thrown over him, and thus seated he quietly passed 
away. 

" David Hume pronounced Whitefield the most 
ingenious preacher he had ever heard, and said it 
was worth while to go twenty miles to hear him. 
But perhaps the greatest proof of his persuasive 
powers was when he drew from Benjamin Frank- 
lin's pocket the money which that clear, cool reasoner 
had determined not to give." — Robert Southey. 

Whitman (Walt, American poet and army 
nurse), 1819-1892. " 0, he's a dear, good fellow," 
said of Thomas Donaldson, one of his most enthu- 
siastic friends, and later his biographer. 

There was a most pathetic incident connected with 
Mr. Whitman's death. It was related to me by 
" Warry " Fritzinger, his nurse. Warry had ar- 
ranged a rope above Mr. Whitman's head, in the bed, 
which was attached to a bell below. He would pull 
this rope after he became weak, and thus ring the 
bell to attract attention. Prior to this time he had 
used his heavy cane to pound the floor with. This 
brought assistance at once. Just before he died, as 
the great change came over him — he was conscious 
that it was a great change, a something unusual 
(Mrs. Davis and Warry were by his side) — he 
seemed as if groping for something. Death had 
called for him, and as the call came, he attempted to 

303 



Xast Ximotbs of 

reach above his head with one of his hands and feel 
for the rope, as if to call for help. In an instant the 
arm dropped, and soon he was dead. 

Donaldson: " Walt Whitman the Man." 

Whitman has, amid the fleshly and physical poems, 
much that is deeply spiritual ; amid the tuneless and 
formless, much noble thought fitly voiced. The 
higher mood and the higher work may be seen in " O 
Captain ! my Captain ! " " Reconciliation," " Vigil 
on the Fields," " The City Dead-House," " Song of 
the Broad Axe," " Proud Music of the Storm," 
" The Mystic Trumpeter," " Seashore Memories," 
and the death-carols of the " Passage to India." 

Welsh: " Digest of English and American Litera- 
ture." 

Whittier (John Greenleaf, distinguishd Ameri- 
can poet), 1 807- 1 892. " I have known thee all the 
time" to his niece in response to her question, " Do 
you know me? " 

Others say his last words were, " Give my love to 
the world." 

Upon the silver coffin-plate was the inscription: 
" John Greenleaf Whittier, December 17, 1807, Sep- 
tember 7, 1892." The face of the dead man wore an 
expression of peace and perfect repose. All around 
his head and body was a delicate fringe of maiden- 
hair fern. Directly over his breast was a superb 
wreath of white roses, carnations and maidenhair 
ferns from that other loved poet and dear friend, for 

304 



Dtetinaufsbefc fl&en an& XPOlomen 

whom Whittier wrote his last poem, Dr. Oliver Wen- 
dell Holmes. Upon the lid was a cluster of white 
carnations from Mrs. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, 
and at the foot were two crossed palms with white 
lilies. At the last were roses and maidenhair ferns. 
A broad white satin ribbon encircled the palms and 
sprays, and upon the ends, delicately painted, were 
the inscriptions : " In memory of John Greenleaf 
Whittier, September 7, 1892/' and this verse: 

" Some sweet morning, yet in God's 
Dim aeonian periods, 
Joyful I shall wake to see 
Those I love, who rest in Thee, 
And to them, in Thee allied, 
Shall my soul be satisfied." 

Upon the card were these words : " In memoriam 
of my husband's dear friend. This verse of Andrew 
Rykman's prayer was used for consolation by him 
who wrote it in the hour of death. Mrs. Daniel 
Lathrop." 

N. Y. Tribune, September 12, 1892. 

Wieland (Christoph Martin, celebrated German 
poet, first translator of Shakspeare's works into the 
German language, founder and editor of the 
" Deutscher Mercur." His most celebrated poem 
is " Oberon "), 1733-1813. "To sleep— to die." 

Wilberforce (William, British statesman and 
philanthropist), 1759-1833. "Heaven!" Some 
say his last words were : " I now feel so weaned 

305 



Xast WLotDs of 

from earth, my affections so much in heaven, that I 
can leave you all without regret; yet I do not love 
you less, but God more." 

Wild (Jonathan, noted highwayman, the hero of 
many a chap-book of his day, and the hero and title 
of a novel by Fielding), 1682-1725. "Lord Jesus 
receive my soul! " Unfortunately there is some 
doubt as to the genuineness of these pious words, 
for they come to us through the chaplain of the 
prison, Rev. Thomas Pureney, a man of whom we 
have this description in Charles Whibley's " Book of 
Scoundrels : " 

" Pureney yielded without persuasion to the pleas- 
ures denied his cloth. There was ever a fire to extin- 
guish at his throat, nor could he veil his wanton eye 
at the sight of a pretty wench. Again and again the 
lust of preaching urged him to repent, yet he slid 
back upon his past gaiety, until ' Parson Pureney ' 
became a by-word. Dismissed from Newmarket in 
disgrace, he wandered the country up and down in 
search of a pulpit, but so infamous became the habit 
of his life that only in prison could he find an audi- 
ence fit and responsive." 

Willard (Frances Elizabeth, American reformer 
and temperance advocate), 1839 — . "How beauti- 
ful to be with God." 

Shortly before Frances Willard' s death she took 
notice of Hoffman's picture of Christ on the wall, 
which had been given to her by Lady Henry Somer- 

306 



2>istmgmsbe& flDen anfc IKHomen 

set, and directed that it be taken back to Lady Henry 
with this inscription : " Only the golden rule of Christ 
can bring the golden age of man." Her last words 
were " How beautiful to be with God." 

Rev. C. C. Carpenter. 

William I. (of England, surnamed " The Con- 
queror"), 1 025-1087. "I commend myself to the 
blessed Lady Mary, hoping by her intercessions to 
be reconciled to her most dear Son, our Lord Jesus 
Christ/' 

William III. (of England), 1650-1702. "Can 
this last long? " to his physician. 

Wilmot (John, Earl of Rochester, witty and prof- 
ligate courtier and author, and a great favorite with 
Charles II. Notwithstanding his evil life, he was a 
brave soldier and had many attractive qualities), 
1 647- 1 680. " The only objection against the Bible 
is a bad life" 

Wilson (Alexander, distinguished ornithologist), 
1 766- 18 1 3. His last words are not recorded, but 
just before his death he asked to be buried where the 
birds might sing over his grave. 1 

1 Walter von der Vogelweid requested that he might repose 
where a leafy tree should cast its shadow, and the light of the 
summer day should linger long ; and that the birds might be 
fed every day from the stone over his grave. See Longfellow's 
beautiful poem, " Walter von der Vogelweid." 

307 



Xast waot&0 of 

Winkelried (Arnold von, Swiss patriot who 
broke the Austrian phalanx at the battle of Sem- 
pach in 1385, by rushing against the points of their 
spears, and gathering within his arms as many as he 
could. He fell pierced with many wounds, but the 
Swiss were victorious). "Friends, I am going to 
lay down my life to procure you victory. All I 
request is that you provide for my family. Follow 
me and imitate my example." 

A column surmounted by a lion, erected on the 
five hundredth anniversary of the victory marks the 
spot where Arnold von Winkelried fell. 

Wish art (George), 1502- 1546. "For the sake 
of the true gospel, given one by the grace of God, I 
suffer this day with a glad heart. Behold and con- 
sider my visage. Ye shall not see me change color. 
I fear not this fire." He was burned at the stake 
for preaching the doctrines of the Reformation. 

A few moments before he uttered his last words 
the executioner said to him, " Sir, I pray you to 
forgive me, for I am not guilty of your death," to 
which the martyr, having replied, " Come hither to 
me," and then kissed him on the cheek, said : " Lo, 
here is a token that I forgive thee." 

Witt (Cornelius de). "This man, who had 
bravely served his country in war, and who had been 
invested with the highest dignities, was delivered 
into the hands of the executioner, and torn in pieces 
by the most inhuman torments. Amidst the severe 

308 



£>fstingutsbe& /iDen anfc Women 

agonies which he endured he frequently repeated an 
ode of Horace, 1 which contained sentiments suited 
to his deplorable condition/' — Hume. 

Wolcott, or Wolcot ( John, " Peter Pindar," 
witty and scurrilous satiric poet. " The most un- 
sparing calumniator of his age." — Sir Walter Scott), 
1 738- 1 8 19. " Give me back my youth' 3 to Taylor 
who had asked him " Is there anything I can do for 
you?" 

Wolcott is well described by Giflord in these lines : 

Come, then, all filth, all venom, as thou art, 
Rage in thy eye, and rancour in thy heart; 
Come with thy boasted arms, spite, malice, lies, 
Smut, scandal, execrations, blasphemies. 

Wolfe ( Charles, Irish clergyman and poet, author 
of " Burial of Sir John Moore/' which is regarded 
as one of the most finished poems of its kind in the 
English language), 1 791- 1823. " Close this eye, the 
other is closed already; and now farewell! " 

On going to bed he felt very drowsy; and soon 
after the stupor of death began to creep over him. 
He began to pray for all his dearest friends indi- 
vidually ; but his voice faltering, he could only say — 
" God bless them all ! The peace of God and of 
Jesus Christ overshadow them, dwell in them, reign 
in them ! " " My peace," said he, addressing his 
sister (the peace I now feel), "Be with you!" — 
" Thou, O God, wilt keep him in perfect peace whose 
1 Horace lib. iii, Ode 3. 

309 



Xast Worfcs of 

mind is stayed on Thee." His speech again began to 
fail, and he fell into a slumber; but whenever his 
senses were recalled he returned to prayer. He re- 
peated part of the Lord's prayer, but was unable to 
proceed; and at last, with a composure scarcely 
credible at such a moment, he whispered to the dear 
relative who hung over his death-bed, " Close this 
eye, the other is closed already ; and now farewell ! " 
Then, having again uttered part of the Lord's prayer, 
he fell asleep. 

Rev. John A. Russell: " Remains of Rev. Charles 
Wolfe/' 

Wolfe (James, a celebrated English officer, killed 
in the battle of Quebec ) , 1 226- 1 759. " / die happy/' 
On being told of the defeat of the French. 

Some give his last words thus : " Support me, 
let not my brave soldiers see me drop; the day is 
ours ! Oh ! keep it ! " Said to those who were near 
him when he received his wound. He feared the 
effect of his death upon his troops. 

Wollstonecraft (Mary, afterwards Mrs. God- 
win, English authoress) , 1759- 1797. " I know what 
you are thinking of, but I have nothing to communi- 
cate on the subject of religion/' to her husband who 
was endeavoring to tell her death was near and to 
sound her mind in the matter of a spiritual world. 

Wolsey (Thomas, known in history as Cardinal 
Wolsey ), 1 47 1 - 1 5 30. " Master Kingston, farewell I 

310 



Btstinguisbefc flDen ant) TOomen 

My time draweth on fast. Forget not what I have 
said and charged you withal; for when I am dead ye 
shall, peradventure, understand my words better." 
D'Aubigne's " History of the Reformation." 
On the morning of the second day, as Cavendish 
was watching near Wolsey, he inquired the hour, 
and being told eight o'clock, — " That cannot be," he 
replied, " for at eight o'clock you will lose your 
master : my time is at hand, and I must depart this 
world." His confessor, who was standing near, 
requested Cavendish to enquire if he would be con- 
fessed. "What have you to do with that?" an- 
swered the Cardinal, angrily; but was appeased by 
the interference of the confessor. He continued to 
grow weaker all that day: about four o'clock the 
next morning, he asked for some refreshment, which 
having received, and made his final confession, Sir 
William Kingston entered his room, and enquired 
how he felt himself : " I tarry," said the dying man, 
" but the pleasure of God, to render up my poor soul 
into His hands. I have now been eight days together 
troubled with a continual flux and fever, a species 
of disease which, if it do not remit its violence within 
that period, never fails to terminate in death." Then 
follows his message to the King, concluding with, 
" Had I served my God as diligently as I have served 
the King, He would not have given me over in my 
grey hairs." He then continued, for a short time, 
to give Sir William some advice, concluding with, 
" Forget not what I have said; and when I am gone, 

3ii 



Xast TKHorfcs of 

call it often to mind." Towards the conclusion, his 
accents began to falter; at the end, his eyes became 
motionless^ and his sight failed. The abbot was 
summoned to administer the extreme unction, and 
the yeomen of the guard were called to see him die. 
As the clock struck eight he expired, on the 29th of 
November, 1530. 

Welby: "Predictions Realised" 

He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one; 

Exceeding wise, fair spoken and persuading; 

Lofty and sour to them that loved him not, 

But, to those men that sought him, sweet as summer. 

And though he was unsatisfied in getting, 

(Which was a sin), yet in bestowing, madam, 

He was most princely. — Shakspeare. 

Wood (Rev. John George, English naturalist, 
author of " Man and Beast Here and Hereafter "), 
1 827- 1 889. " Give me a large cup of tea." 

At six o'clock he complained of thirst and asked 
for a cup of milk. Still his mind was perfectly clear, 
for, finding that he could no longer raise his head 
to drink, he asked whether there happened to be 
an invalid's cup in the house, and, finding that there 
was not, suggested that a small milk jug would an- 
swer the purpose instead. This was procured, and 
he drank his milk, asking immediately afterward for 
a large cup of tea, which he drank also. And almost 
immediately afterward he turned his head upon one 
side, and quietly passed away. 1 — Theodore Wood. 

1 Sir Charles Blagden, the distinguished English physician 
and chemist (1748-1820) died so quietly and peacefully that 

312 



2>tetinguisbe& flDen an& Women 

Woodville (William, English physician and 
author of a work on "Medical Botany"), 1752- 
1805. " I shall not live more than two days, there- 
fore make haste" last recorded words said to a car- 
penter who had come to measure him for a coffin. 

Woolston (Thomas, English theologian), 1669- 
^33- " This is a struggle which all men must go 
through, and which I bear not only with patience, 
but with willingness/' 

Woolton (John, Bishop of Exeter), 1 535-1 594. 
"A Bishop ought to die on his legs." He insisted 
upon standing up to die, as did also the Rev. Patrick 
Bronte. 

Wordsworth (William, distinguished English 
poet), 1770-1850. " God bless you! Is that you. 
Dora? " 

Mrs. Wordsworth, with a view of letting him 
know what the opinion of his medical advisers was 
concerning his case, said gently to him, " William, 
you are going to Dora ! " More than twenty- four 
hours afterward one of his nieces came into the room, 
and was drawing aside the curtain of his chamber, 

not a drop of coffee in the cup which he held in his hand 
was spilt. He was sitting in his chair at a social meal with 
his friends, Monsieur and Madame Berthollet, and Gay 
Lussac. Dr. Joseph Black, also a famous physician, died 
whilst eating his customary meal of bread and milk, and so 
quiet and peaceful was his departure that he did not even 
spill the contents of a spoon which he held in his hand. 

3*3 



%nst TKHorfcs of 

and then, as if awakening from a quiet sleep, he said, 
"Is that you Dora P" 1 

Memoirs of Wordsworth, Vol. ii, p. 506. 

1 William Wordsworth died April 23rd, 1850, at the age of 
80, and was buried in the little centry-garth of St. Oswald's, 
Grasmere, between, as De Quincey records, "a yew-tree of 
his own planting, and an aged thorn." On his tombstone is 
an inscription from the pen of Keble, in which he is styled, 
" a chief minister, not only of noblest poesy, but of high and 
Sacred truth." Surely the tender lover of Nature, and high- 
priest of her mysteries, could have no fitter resting-place than 
this Westmoreland churchyard, where, as some one has writ- 
ten, "the turf is washed green by summer dew, and winter 
rain, and in early spring is beautifully dappled with lichens 
and golden moss?" This reads very prettily, and represents 
the thing as it should be. But what are the facts? The liter- 
ary pilgrim who may chance to visit the spot will follow a 
narrow muddy path among the grave mounds, till he reaches 
a gloomy dingy corner, with a group of blue-black head-stones 
of funereal slate. Everything round the place is decayed and 
blighted ; no green grass is there ; all is dull, dark and de- 
pressing. The poet's corner is ill-drained ; and there is a tiny 
moat of water round the base of the stone curb, in which is 
fixed the iron railing that surrounds the grave. Yet here is 
a remarkable group of memorial tombs. Near to the poet lie 
all the beloved members of his household. Here slumbers his 
favorite sister, Dorothy; here, too, Mrs. Wordsworth, — Dora 
Wordsworth, — her husband, Edward Quillinan, the poet, and 
translator of the Lusiad, — the two infant children of Words- 
worth, — and behind these, Hartley Coleridge, that " inheritor 
of unfulfilled renown," whose bier the poet followed one 
snowy day in January, unwitting that, before the trees were 
again clad with verdure, he would be borne along the same 
narrow path to his own long rest. Surely something should 
be done to rescue the poet's monument from decay, and render 
it more in accordance with the verdant foliage and the sun- 
bright hills around, of which he sung so lovingly and so well. 

William Bates. 

3M 



Distrnguisbefc /iDen anfc Women 

Wotton (Sir Henry, English diplomatist, author 
of some very beautiful short poems and of a number 
of books, chief among which are " The State of 
Christendom/' and " The Characters of Some of the 
English Kings"), 1 568-1639. "I novo draw near 
to the harbor of death — that harbor that will rescue 
me from all the future storms and waves of this 
restless world. I praise God, I am willing to leave 
it, and expect a better — that world wherein dwelleth 
righteousness, and I long for it." 

Wyatt (Sir Thomas, the younger), 1 520-1 554. 
On the scaffold he said to the people : " Whereas it 
is said abroad that I should accuse my Lady Eliza- 
beth's grace and my Lord Courtenay; it is not so, 
good people, for I assure you that neither they nor 
any other now yonder in bold endurance was privy 
of my rising a commotion before I began." Weston, 
his confessor, shouted, " Believe him not, good peo- 
ple! he confessed otherwise before the council." 
Wyatt answered : " That which I said then I said, 
but that which I say now is true." These were 
Wyatt's last words. 

Wycherley (William, author of " The Plain- 
dealer," " The Country Wife," and several other 
comedies), 1640-1715. "Promise me you will 
never again marry an old man," said to his wife. 

When he was over seventy years old he married a 
young woman, but he survived his marriage only 
eleven days. 

315 



last Worfcs of 

Ximenes de Cisneros (Francisco, Spanish cardi- 
nal), 1719-1 774. " This is death." 

Yancey (William Lowndes, American politician, 
secessionist and commissioner to Europe to secure 
recognition of the Southern Confederacy. He was 
called "The Fire-Eater "), 1815-1863. "Sarah," 
his wife's name. 

Yvart (J. A. Victor, called " The Arthur Young 
of France"), 1 764-1 831. "Nature, how lovely 
thou art! " 

Zane (Giacomo, a Venetian poet), 1529- 1560. 
" I should like to live" There is dispute about these 
words ; some writers say his last words were : " I 
should not like to live." 

Zeisberger (David, German missionary among 
the American Indians, author of a number of books 
in the language of the Delaware Indians), 1 721- 1808. 
" I am going, my people, to rest from all my labors 
and to be at home with the Lord. He has never for- 
saken me in distress, and will not forsake me now. 
I have reviewed my whole life, and found that there 
is much to be forgiven." 

Zeno, or Zenon (Greek philosopher and founder 
of the school of the Stoics), about b. c. 355 — about 
B. c. 257. " Earth, dost thou demand me?- I am 
ready." Last recorded words. 

316 



2>tetin0ut5bet> flfoen anfc Women 

The occasion of the philosopher's death is related 
as follows : " One day, as he was coming out of his 
school, he ran against some object and broke his 
finger; this he considered as an intimation from the 
gods that he must soon die.; and, immediately strik- 
ing the ground with his hand, he said, ' Earth, dost 
thou demand me ? I am ready/ Instead of seeking 
to have his ringer healed, he deliberately strangled 
himself. 

" He had taught publicly forty-eight years with- 
out intermission ; and, reckoning from the time when 
he commenced his studies under Crates, the Cynic, 
he had devoted himself to philosophy for sixty-eight 
years." — Fenelon. 

Zimmermann (Johann Georg von, eminent 
Swiss physician of the eighteenth century, and au- 
thor of a famous essay on " Solitude "), 1728- 1795. 
" I am dying; leave me alone." 

He was completely deranged for some time before 
his death. 

Zinzendorf (Nicolaus Ludwig, Count and Lord 
of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, founder of the Mo- 
ravian Church, and the author of a number of beau- 
tiful hymns), 1700- 1760. Around his bed more than 
a hundred members of the community gathered to 
receive his blessing, and hear his last council and 
encouragement. When he had spoken kindly to 
them all he said to his son-in-law : " Noiv, my dear 

317 



Xast movbs 

son, I am going to the Saviour. I am ready; I am 
quite resigned to the will of my Lord. If He is no 
longer willing to make use of me here I am quite 
ready to go to Him, for there is nothing more in my 
way." His son-in-law offered prayer, and as he 
closed with the petition, " Lord, now lettest Thou 
Thy servant depart in peace/' the great and holy 
man fell asleep in his Saviour. 

Zwingle, or Zwinglius (a Swiss Reformer who 
was killed at the battle of Cappel), 1484- 1 531. 
" Can this be considered a calamity? ■■ Weill they 
can, indeed, kill the body, but they are not able to 
kill the soul" Said after receiving a mortal 
wound. 



318 



EPILOGUE 

Great men may by their courage and virtue fortify 
us against the terrors of death, if by their vices, and 
fears begotten of vices, they do not distress us ten- 
fold more than we were distressed before ; they may 
point the way from a present twilight to the infinite 
day-dawn beyond ; and yet in the end must every pil- 
grim choose for himself the road over which he is 
to journey. The foregoing pages give only the ex- 
periences of others. Nevertheless, they may soften 
in our minds the dark outlines of the landscape, and 
cast a rav of light into the great unseen. Happy is 
the soul that in an age of doubt and uncertainty can 
trust, even though it be with trembling faith, One 
greater than the greatest, and Who has named Him- 
self the Resurrection and the Life ! 

Sunset and evening star, 

And one clear call for me ! 
And may there be no moaning of the bar, 

When I put out to sea, 

But such a tide as moving seems asleep, 

Too full for sound and foam, 
When that which drew from out the boundless 
deep 

Turns again home. 

319 



Epilogue 

Twilight and evening bell, 

And after that the dark ! 
And may there be no sadness of farewell, 

' When I embark ; 

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place 

The flood may bear me far, 
I hope to see my Pilot face to face 

When I have crost the bar. 

Tennyson. 



320 



INDEX 



Index 



Above all do not miss me! 159 

Absolutely, and I pray God to 
condemn me if I have, 239 

Adieu, my dear Marand ; I am 
dying, 293 

Adieu, O world; here is no 
pity for me. Soldiers, fire, 
287 

Adios, mundo; no hay piedad 
para mi. Soldados, fuego, 
287 

After I am dead you will find 
Calais written upon my 
heart, 186 

Ah, Jesus! 61 

Ah! mes enfans, you cannot 
cry as much for me, 247 

Ah ! my child, let us speak of 
Christ's love, 43 

Ah! poor humpback, thy 
many long years, 70. 

Ah ! very well, 16 

Ah, a German ! a prodigy, ad- 
mit him ! 273 

All I request of you, gentle- 
men, is that you bear wit- 
ness, 12 

All is well! 97 

All is well, all is well — the 
Seed of God reigns over all, 
101. 

All my life I have carried my- 
self gracefully, 52 

All my possessions for one 
moment of time, 91 

Amazing, amazing glory! I 
am having Paul's under- 
standing, 237 

Amen, 48 

An Emperor ought to die 
standing, 289 



And must I then die? Will 

not all my riches save me? 

25 
Anderson, you know that I 

always wished to die, 199 
Are the doctors here? 123 
Are the French beaten? 199 
Are we not children, all of us ? 

275 
Artery ceases to beat, The, 

122 
Assatus est; jam versa et 

manduca, 161 
" Asunder flies the man," 175 
At least, I may die facing the 

enemy, 23 
At rest at last. Now I am free 

from pain, 129 
At the last hour God alone 

can give mortals comfort, 

247- 
Away! Away! Why do you 

thus look at me? 26 
Ay, Jesus! 62 

Back, thou accursed phantom, 

164 
Be fruitful, 188 
Be good, be virtuous, my lord, 

176 
Be of good c^ufort, brother, 

for we shall have a merry 

supper, 43 
Be of good comfort, Master 

Ridley, and play the man, 

161 
Be quick about it, 22 
Be serious, 119 
Be thou everlasting, 246 
Begone, thou wretched beast, 



323 



flnfcex 



Begone, you and your trum- 
pery; until this moment, 

252 
Behold then, the recompense 

reserved, 80 
Beloved Bickus, the principle 

of existence and mutability, 

no 
Best of all is, God is with us, 

The, 300 
Bishop ought to die on his 

legs, A, 313 
Blessed be God, I have kept a 

conscience void of offence, 

288 
Blessed be God, though I 

change my place, 231 
Body of Our Lord Jesus 

Christ, which was given, 

The, 232 
Bring thy torch hither; do 

thine office before my face. 

152 
Brother, brother, strong evi- 
dences, nothing but strong 

evidences, 240 
Brother Ranney, will you bury 

me ? bury me ? quick ! quick ! 

153 
But the consummate and 
perfect knowledge — , 249 

Can this be considered a cal- 
amity? Well, they can, 318 

Can this last long? 307 

Carry my bones before you on 
your march, 88 

Catholic faith is, to love God 
and to love man, The, 66 

Christ also hath suffered for 
sins, 133 

Christ Jesus the Saviour of 
sinners and life of the dead, 
210 

Clasp my hand, my dear 
friend, I die! 9 

Close this eye, the other is 
closed already, 309 

Come, my son, and see how a 
Christian can die, 126 

Come to me, 85 



Commend your souls to God, 
for our bodies are the foes! 
198 

Comme un dernier rayon, 
comme un dernier zephyre, 

63 
Contemplate the state in which 

I am fallen, and learn to 

die, 245 
Crito, I owe a cock to ^Escu- 

lapius, 260 

Dear gentlemen, let me die, 

no 
Dear little fellow — he is a 

beautiful boy, 158 
Death wins this time, 227 
Debt! 189 

Deep dream of peace, 142 
Did I not say I was writing 

the Requiem for myself? 

202 
Did you know Burke? 256 
Did you think I should live 

forever? 171 
Do not let the Civil Rights bill 

fail! 270 
Do you hear the music? 37 
Don't let poor Nelly starve! 

60 
Domine! Domine! fac finem! 

fac finem! 98 
Dream has been short, The, 

247 
Dying, dying, 134 
Dying man can do nothing 

easy, A, 102 

Earth, dost thou demand me? 

I am ready, 316 
Einen Blick in die Sonne, 249 
End has come in the way in 

which I most desired, The, 

206 
Erravi, cum Petro, sed non 

flevi cum Petro, 108 
Est ist gut, 156 
Et tu, Brute! 52 
Examine it for yourself, 300 
Exariare aliquis nostris ex 

ossibus ultor, 269 



324 



1Fn&ei 



Faith and patience hold out 
223 

Far from well, yet far better 
than mine iniquities de- 
serve, 188 

Farewell, and remember me, 
181 

Farewell, my children, for- 
ever. I go to your father, 
182 

Farewell, O farewell, all 
earthly things, and welcome 
heaven, 30 

Farewell sun, moon, and 
stars, 177 

Fear not true Pharisees, but 
greatly fear painted Phari- 
sees, 9 

Fi de la vie ! qu'on ne m'en 
parle plus, 181 

Fifty years have passed since 
I became Caliph, 2 

Food is palatable, The, 100 

For the love of God, don't 
mention that man! 294 

For the name of Jesus and the 
defense of the Church, 26 

For the sake of the true gos- 
pel given once by the grace 
of God, 308 

Frenchmen, I die innocent of 
all the crimes, 178 

Friend, you do not well to 
trample on a dying man, 225 

Friendship itself is but a part 
of virtue, 229 

Friends, I am going to lay 
down my life, 308 

Gentlemen of the jury, you 

will now consider of your 

verdict, 276 
Give Day Rolles a chair, 63 
Give me a large cup of tea, 

312 
Give me back my youth, 309 
Give my love to the world, 

304 
Give the boys a holiday, 11 
Give them the cold steel, boys, 

16 



" Glory be to the Father, and 

to the Son, and to the Holy 

Ghost," 27 
Glory hallelujah! I am going 

to the Lordy! I come! 

Ready! Go! 119 
Glory to God for all things, 

Amen, 64 
Go first; I can at least spare 

you the pain, 243 
Go ye to the country of Tyre 

and Sidon, 148 
" God be merciful to me, a 

sinner," 287 
God be thanked, I have had a 

very good night, 258 
God bless you, 49 
God bless you all ! 252 
God bless you! Is that you, 

Dora? 313 
God bless you, my dear! 153 
God forgive me. — Amen ! 126 
God have mercy upon me, and 

be gracious to me, 263 
God preserve the emperor, 

120 
God protect Bulgaria, 266 
God, who placed me here, will 

do what he pleases with me 

hereafter, 38 
God will continue to support 

me, 102 
God's will be done, 158 
God's wounds ! The villain 

hath killed me, 292 
Good-bye, 207 
Good-bye, General ; I'm done. 

I'm too old, 90 
Good Doctor, God has heard 

my daily petitions, 135 
Good morning, 203 
Good people, give me more 

fire, 136 
Grateful — in peace, 149 
Grenadiers ! lower your arms, 

otherwise you will miss me, 

97 
Guard the church I loved so 

well, 227 
Guilty, weak, and helpless 

worm, A, 133 



325 



flnfcex 



Ha til mi tulidh, 242 

Had it pleased my Lord to 

spare me longer, 271 
Happy, 178 
Happy, 235 
He, 126 
He has indeed been a precious 

Christ to me, 245 
He that loves God ought to 

think, yj 
Heaven ! 305 

Help, my dear — help! 178 
Heracles, how cold your bath 

is, 154 
Here! Fire here! 287 
Here, then, we have come to 

the last stage of my jour- 
ney, 37 
Here thou art then! 64 
Herr Jesu, to thee I live; 

Herr Jesu, to thee I die ! 

104 
Hold your tongue; your 

wretched style only makes, 

178 
Holy, holy, holy, blessed 

Lord Jesus! 243 
How am I advanced, despis- 
ing you that are upon the 

earth ! 180 
How beautiful! 205 
How beautiful God is! 158 
How beautiful to be with God, 

306 
How easy — how easy — how 

easy to glide from work 

here, 237 
How grand the sunlight! It 

seems to beckon earth to 

heaven, 142 
How great is the forgiveness 

for such a life ! 291 
How sweet it is to rest ! 275 
Huz! Huz! 171 

I always deemed him more 
fortunate than myself, 292 

I am a Queen, but have no 
power to use my arms, 174 

I am a priest! Fie! Fie! all 
is gone, 25 



I am about to die, and I am 

not afraid to die, 296 
I am about to die. I expect 

the summons soon, 276 
I am almost dead ; lift me up a 

little higher, 87 
I am almost in eternity, 43 
I am almost well, 23 
I am done for, 128 
I am dying, 302 
I am dying, I am worn out, 

201 
I am dving; leave me alone, 

317 
I am dying, sir, of a hundred 

good symptoms, 229 
I am glad to hear it; but, O 

brother Payne! 216 
I am going, my people, to rest 

from my labors, 316 
I am going to sleep like you, 

but we shall all awake to- 
gether, 231 
I am going to the great per- 
haps, 233 
I am going where all tears 

will be wiped from my eyes, 

187 
I am grateful for your pres- 
ence, 57 
I am grateful to Divine 

Mercy, 160 
I am ill — very ill, I shall not 

recover, 201 
I am just going; have me 

decently buried, 296 
I am laboring to return that 

which is divine, 228 
I am lost, and there is no use 

to deny it, 107 
I am not well, and should like 

to lie down, 295 
I am not in the least afraid to 

die, 77 
I am now ready to die. Lord, 

forsake me not, 131 
I am perfectly resigned, 116 
I am ready, 96 
I am ready, 188 
I am ready at any time — do 

not keep me waiting, 45 



326 



irn&ex 



I am ready — let there be no 
mistake and no delay, 36 

I am roasted — now turn me, 
and eat me, 161 

I am satisfied with the Lord's 
will, 209 

I am sensible of the violence 
of my disorder, 276 

I am suffering, sire, the pangs 
of the damned, 273 

I am sweeping through the 
gates, 68 

I am the wheat of Christ, 145 

I am very ill. Is it not strange 
that these people, 55 

I am weary; I will now go to 
sleep, Good night! 207 

I am wounded, 129 

I believe, Lord, and confess, 
224 

I cannot bear it; let me rest. 
I must die, 241 

I carry in my heart the dirge 
of the monarchy, 194 

I commend myself to the 
blessed Lady Mary, 307 

I confide to your care, my be- 
loved children, 197 

I could wish this tragic scene 
were over, 232 

I desire to go to hell, and not 
to heaven, 178 

I did not think that they 
would put a young gentle- 
man to death, 22 

I die a martyr and willingly 
— my soul shall mount up 
to heaven, 46 

I die happy, 310 

I die like a good Catholic, 
26 

I die not only a Protestant, 
but with the heart-hatred of 
popery, 16 

I die of a broken heart, 156 

I die unprepared, 41 

I do, 215 

I do forgive you, 138 

I do not fear death, 36 

I do not mean to be killed to- 
day, 285 



I fear not death; death is not 

terrible to me, 59 
I feel as if I were sitting with 

Mary at the feet of my Re- 
deemer, 129 
I feel as if I were to be myself 

again, 252 
I feel like a mote in the sun- 
beam, 223 
I feel now that I am dying, 29 
I feel quite well, only very 

weak, 154 
I feel the flowers growing 

over me, 156 
I give thee thanks, O God, for 

all they benefits, 89 
I go to my God and Saviour, 

132 
I have already confessed my 

sins to God, 257 
I have always endeavored to 

the best of my ability, 66 
I have been false to my God, 

3i 
I have been fortunate in long 

good health and constant 

success, 239 
I have been murdered; no 

remedy can prevent my 

speedy death, 162 
I have been nearer to you 

when you have missed me, 

165 
I have done my work. It is 

the most natural thing in 

the world to die, 238 
I have done the damnable 

deed, 230 
I have enough, brother ; try to 

save your own life, 120 
I have ever cherished an 

honest pride; never have I 

stooped, 255 
I have found at last the object 

of my love, 145 
I have had a noble share of 

life, 183 
I have had wealth, rank and 

power, but if these were all, 7 
I have known thee all the 

time, 304 



327 



ffn&ex 



I have led a happy life, 127 
I have loved God, my father 

and liberty, 265 
I have loved justice and hated 

inquity, 118 
I have no enemies except 

those of the state, 239 
I have no religious joys; but 

I have hope, 106 
I have no wish to believe on 

that subject, 217 
I have not so behaved myself, 

10 
I have often read and thought 

of that scripture, 51 
I have opened it, 277 
I have pain — there is no ar- 
guing against sense, 23 
I have Paul's understanding, 

237 
I have peace of mind, 10 
I have peace, perfect peace, 51 
I have something to tell you, 

177 
I have taught men how to 

live, 66 
I have the flavor of death on 

my tongue, I taste death, 

201 
I heard your voice; but did 

not understand what you 

said, 119 
I hope the people of England 

will be satisfied, 199 
I know that it will be well 

with me, 100 
" I know that my Redeemer 

liveth," 167 
I know what you are think- 
ing of, but I have nothing, 

310 
I leave this world without a 

regret, 281 
I'll be shot if I don't believe 

I'm dying, 282 
I must arrange my pillows 

for another weary night, 147 
I must now hasten away since 

my baggage has been sent, 

20 
I must sleep now, 51 



I never departed from the true 
church, 281 

I never thought that it was so 
easy a matter to laugh, 247 

I now draw near to the har- 
bor of death, 315 

I now feel so weaned from 
earth, my affections so 
much in heaven, 305 

I now feel that I am dying. 
Our care must be, 193 

I only regret that I have but 
one life to give to my coun- 
try ! 121 

I pray you all pray for me, 25 

I pray you see me safe up the 
scaffold, 200 

I receive absolution upon this 
condition, 235 

I repent of my life except that 
part, 85 

I resign my spirit to God ; my 
daughter to my country, 152 

I see earth receding; Heaven 
is opening; God is calling 
me, 198 

I shall be glad to find a hole 
to creep out of the world 
at, 133 

I shall be satisfied with thy 
likeness, 300 

I shall gladly obey His call, 
13 

I shall hear in heaven, 28 

I shall not live more than two 
days, therefore make haste. 
313 

I shall not long hesitate be- 
tween conscience and the 
Pope, 29 

I shall retire early; I am very 
tired, 177 

I shall this day deceive the 
worms in Hadley church- 
yard, 275 

I should like to live, 316 

I should like to record the 
thoughts of a dying man, 24 

I should not like to live, 316 

I stand in the presence of my 
Creator, 134 



328 



Un&ei 



I still live! 298 

I strike my flag, 139 

I suffer nothing, but feel a 

sort of difficulty of living 

longer, 101 
I suffer the violence of pain 

and death, 41 
I suppose I shall soon be a 

god, 289 
I take God to witness I have 

preached, 144 
I thank God that not a day of 

my life has been spent, 223 
I thank thee, O my God and 

Saviour, 161 
I thank you for all your faith- 
ful services; God bless you, 

53 
I think I shall die to-night, 

244 
I think you had better send 

for a doctor, 257 
I thought dying had been 

harder, 172 
I trust in the mercy of God, 

it is not now too late, 130 
I want, oh, you know what I 

mean, the stuff of life, 274 
I want to go away, 57 
I want to go home, 300 
I were miserable, if I might 

not die, 85 
I will enter now into the house 

of the Lord, 171 
I will have no rogue's son 

in my seat, 91 
I will lie down on the couch, 

64 
I wish I had the power of 

writing, 73 
I wish Vaughan to preach my 

funeral sermon, 266 
I wish you to understand the 

true principles of govern- 
ment, 124 
If he should slay me ten thou- 
sand times, 244 
If I die, I die unto the Lord, 

Amen, 147 
If I had strength to hold a 

pen I would write, 144 



If I have been deceived, 

doubtless it was the work 

of a spirit, 261 
If my husband has for his 

new wife no better gift, 261 
If you think it will be of serv- 
ice, 123 
If you love my soul, away 

with it! 135 
Illi in extremis prae timore 

imbellis sudor, 289 
In death at last let me rest 

with Abelard, 128 
In me behold the end of the 

world, 258 
Indeed, no more medicine, 99 
Independence forever! 2 
In life and in death, I am the 

Lord's, 147 
" In manus tuos, Domine, 

commendo spiritum meum," 

66 
In the name of modesty, cover 

my bosom ! 92 
Is it not true, dear Hammel, 

that I have some talent after 

all? 28 
Is Lawrence come? — Is Law- 
rence come? 106 
Is not this dying with cour- 
age and true greatness? 31 
Is there no priest at the 

chateau? 97 
Is this death? 165 
Is this death? 233 
Is this dying? Is this all? Is 

this all that I feared? 187 
It came with a lass, and it will 

go with a lass, 152 
It grows dark, boys. You 

may go, 1 
It is folly; they had better 

leave it alone, 273 
It is a great consolation for 

a dying poet, 38 
It is a great consolation to 

me, in my last hour, 106 
It is a great mercy to me, 

298 
It is a great satisfaction to me 

to know, 199 



329 



flnfcex 



It is all one, Phillips and 

Clarke will come for my 

sake, 221 
It is all the same in the end, 214 
It is beautiful, 45 
It is delightful to see those 

whom I love still able to 

swallow, 73 
It is done! 116 
It is likely that you may never 

need to do it again, 134 
It is not painful, Psetus, 18 
It is nothing, 139 
It is safest to trust to Jesus, 29 
It is small, very small indeed, 

38 
It is the last of earth! I am 

content ! 2 
It was not enough to deprive 

me of the crown, 225 
It is well, 296 
It is well; I thank you; God 

bless you, 271 
It matters little to me; for if 

I am but once dead, 47 
It matters not where I am 

going, whether the weather, 

90 
It will be but a momentary 

pang, 11 
It will soon be time for mass. 

They must raise me, 271 
It would be hard indeed if we 

two dear friends should 

part, 215 

James, take good care of the 

horse, 253 
Jefferson survives, 2 
Jesu! 228 
Jesus ! Jesus ! 153 
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, 254 
Jesus ! precious Saviour ! 73 
Jesus, Son of the eternal God, 

have mercy on me! 254 
Joy, 200 
" Justum et tenacem propositi 

virum," 82 

King should die standing, A, 
177 



Kiss me, Hardy, 207 

Know Him? He is my 
Saviour, 286 

Knowledge of the love of God 
— the blessing of God Al- 
mighty, The, 188 

La montagne est passee, nous 
irons mieux, 105 

Laissez la verdure, 245 

Let all brave Prussians follow 
me, 251 

Let down the curtain, the 
farce is over, 233 

Let me die with the Phili- 
stines, 245 

Let my epitaph be, " Here 
lies Joseph, who was un- 
successful," 153 

Let this word of mine be kept 
by you, 13 

Let us go over the river, and 
sit under the refreshing 
shadow, 149 

Let us submit to the laws of 
nature, 238 

Liebe, gute, 249 

Life or death is welcome to 
me, 301 

Life spent in the service of 
God, A, 131 

Live in Christ, live in Christ, 

Live mindful of our wedlock, 
Livia, 19 

Lord, 69 

Lord, forgive my sins; especi- 
ally my sins of omissions, 
287 

Lord has suffered as much for 
me, The, 246 

Lord, have mercy upon me. 
Wilt thou break a bruised 
reed? 12 

Lord help my soul ! 228 

Lord, into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit, 62 

Lord, into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit, 118 

Lord, into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit, 274 



330 



fln&ex 



Lord, Lord, Lord, receive my 

spirit ! 142 
Lord, receive my soul, 161 
Lord Jesus-, receive my spirit, 

136 
Lord Jesus, receive my soul! 

306 
Lord! Jesus! Yet more 

trouble, 65 
Lord, lay not this sin to their 

charge, 267 
Lord, make haste! 122 
" Lord, now let thy servant 

depart in peace," 43 
Lord, open the eyes of the 

King of England, 285 
Lord, receive my soul, 161 
Lord, receive my spirit, 243 
Lord take my spirit, 89 
Lotte, 190 
Luis de Moscoso, 80 

Madame, 50 

Mais quel diable de mal veux 
— te que cela me fosse? 83 
Many things are growing 
plain and clear to my under- 
standing, 248 
Master Kingston, farewell ! 
My time draweth on fast, 310 
May God never forsake me! 

222 
May God's will be done, 30 
Mir ist sehr schlecht, 295 
Molly, I shall die! 116 
Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu ! 113 
Mon Dieu ! La Nation Fran- 
chise, Tete d'armee, 205 
Monks! Monks! Monks! 130 
More light! More light! 114 
Murder of the Queen had 
been represented to me, 
The, 19 
Must I leave it unfinished? 207 
My anchor is well cast, and 

my shio, 136 
My beautiful flowers, my 

lovely flowers ! 240 
My beloved! they are not 
mine. No! they are not 
mine! 33 



My children, these fearful 

forests and these barren 

rocks, 114 
My Christ, 45 

My dear, be a good man, 252 
My dear one, with whom I 

lived in love so long, 255 
My dear wife, my dear chil- 
dren, do not weep, 57 
My desire is to make what 

haste I may to be gone, 71 
My friend, I shall die to-day. 

When one is in this situ- 
ation, 193 
My friend, it is only from 

cold, 21 
My God! 232 
"My God, my Father, and my 

Friend," 84 
My heart is fixed, O God ! my 

heart is fixed, 246 
My heart is resting sweetly 

with Jesus, 72 
My life is taken from me, 

though I have done nothing, 

284 
My Lord, why do you not go 

on? I am not afraid to die, 

187 
My soul I resign to God, my 

body to the earth, 48 
My trust is in God, 275 
My work is done, 133 
My work is done; I have 

nothing to do but to go to 

my Father, 144 

Napoleon ! Elba ! Marie 
Louise, 153 

Nature, how lovely thou art! 
316 

Nectare clausa suo, 253 

Never heed; the Lord's power 
is over all weakness, 101 

Never mind, I shall soon 
drink of the river of Eternal 
Life, 283 

No, 14 

No; it was one Tom Camp- 
bell, 54 

No, it is not, 115 



331 



Utifcex 



No, No! 44 

No mortal man can live after 

the glories which God, 285 
No resentment, 227 
No, whatever is, is best, 163 
No, your Majesty, to-morrow 

you will not see me here, 

57 
Nobody, nobody but Jesus 

Christ, 49 
None but Christ! 160 

Not , 95 

Not till the general resurrec- 
tion, 258 
Nothing else but heaven, 191 
Now all is over — let the piper 

play " Ha til mi tulidh," 

242 
Now am I about to make my 

last voyage — a great leap in 

the dark, 133 
Now comes the mystery, 28 
Now God be praised, only one 

hour! 112 
Now God be with you, my 

dear children, 45 
Now I am going, 99 
Now I can hold on no longer. 

Lay me in a different pos- 
ture, 249 
Now I die, 301 
Now I know that I must be 

very ill, since you have been 

sent for, 171 
Now it is come, 159 
Now lack I but two stiles; 

and I am even at my 

Father's house, 275 
Now, Lord, I go, 62 
Now, my dear son, I am go- 
ing to the Saviour, 317 
Now, O God, thou dost let 

thy servant depart in peace, 

112 
Nurse, nurse, what murder! 

what blood! Oh! I have 

done wrong, 61 

O Allah, be it so! Hence- 
forth among the glorious 
host of paradise, 199 



O Allah, pardon my sins. 

Yes, I come, among my fel- 
low laborers, 196 
O, better, 146 
O, cardinal! thou wilt make 

us all to be damned, 215 
O come in glory! I have long 

waited for thy coming, 91 
"O death where is thy ," 

131 
" O Father of thy beloved and 

blessed Son, Jesus Christ ! " 

229 
O Florence, what hast thou 

done to-day? 246 
O God come to mine aid; O 

Lord make haste to help me, 

172 
O God have mercy upon me, 

and upon this poor nation, 

215 
O God — if there be a God — I 

desire Thee to have mercy 

on me, 284 
O ! he's a dear, good fellow, 

303 
O Hobbima, Hobbima, how I 

do love thee! 72 
O, I hear such beautiful 

voices, 249 
O Lord Almighty, as thou 

wilt ! 48 
O Lord, forgive the errata ! 43 
O Lord, into Thy hands I 

commit my spirit, 184 
O Lord, save my country! O 

Lord, be merciful, 122 
Oh, Lord, shall I die at all? 19 
O my country, how I leave 

thee, 227 
O my God! 224 
O, my mother! how deep will 

be thy sorrow at the news, 

68 
O, my poor soul, what is to 

become of thee? 189 
O, my poor soul, whither art 

thou going? 3 
O Paradise! O Paradise! At 

last comes to me the grand 

consolation, 223 



332 



flnfcex 



O, that beautiful boy! 93 
O, that glorious sun! 231 
O the depths of the riches of 
the goodness and knowl- 
edge of God! 170 
O, to die for liberty is a pleas- 
ure and not a pain, 42 
O, what triumphant truth, 88 
O wretched virtue! thou art 

a bare name! 47 
Observe how they are swelled, 

13 

Oh, the insufferable pangs of 

hell and damnation, 209 
Oh death, why art thou so 

long in coming? 75 
Oh, don't let the awkward 

squad fire over me ! 50 
Oh Gabrielle, how much better 

would it have been v 98 
Oh God, what then is man, 

122 
Oh Puss, chloroform — ether — 

or I am a dead man, 50 
Oh, that peace may come, 291 
Oh, would to God I had never 

reigned ! 227 
On the ground, 83 
One hundred and forty-four, 

78 
One word, one word — Jesus 

Christ ! 210 
Only objection against the 

Bible is a bad life, The, 307 
Open the gates! Open the 

gates! 301 
Open to me, O God ! 160 
Over my spirit flash and float 
in divine radiancy, 279 

Pains, the groans, the dying 

strife, The, 209 
Peace ! 42 
Peace ! 300 

People my trust, The, 108 
Poor little boys! 48 
Pourquoi est-ce que vous me 

quittez, 113 
Pray, pray ! 122 
Precious salvation, 132 
Precious salvation! 269 



Promise me you will never 
again marry an old man, 315 
Put me there, 122 

Qualis artifex pereo ! 207 

Refresh me with a great 

thought, 132 
Rejoice! We rejoice! 98 
Relief has come, 216 
Remember, 59 

Remember that I die as be- 
comes a British officer, 12 
Remember the Lord Jesus 

Christ, 224 
Repeat those words Monsieur 

the almoner, 172 
Righteous wait expectant till 

I receive my recompense, 

The, 102 
" Rock of Ages cleft for me," 

8 

Sarah, 316 

See in what peace a Christian 

can die, 2 
Set your mind at rest, Dieu 

me pardonnera, 128 
Shall I sue for mercy? — 

Come, come, no weakness, 

51 
Sinner, thou must die, 176 
Sister! sister! sister! 79 
Sit down, 270 
Six feet of earth for my body, 

and the infinite heavens for 

my soul, 41 
Sixty-four years ago it 

pleased the Almighty to 

call, 200 
So far as I have understood 

what the duties of my office 

were, 266 
So much the better! I shall 

not then live to see the sur- 
render, 197 
So the heart be right, it is no 

matter which way the head 

lies, 233 
Soldiers — fire! 176 
Soldiers, fire, 213 



333 



Unfcex 

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Thanks be to God, 73 

Body of Christ, save me, That is enough to last till I 

254 get to heaven, 295 

South! The South! God That's right, Brother Taylor; 

knows what will become of parry them off as well as 

her ! The, 53 you can, 258 

Stand up for Jesus, 286 That which I said then I said, 

Stay, friend, till I put aside but that which I say now is 

my beard, 200 true, 315 

Stop, go out of the room; I Then I am safe, 71 

am about to die, 101 There are six guineas for you, 

Stopped, 116 and do not hack me, 251 

Strike here ! Level your rage " There is another and a bet- 

against the womb, 7 ter world," 219 

Strike, if it be for the Ro- There is but one book; bring 

man's good, 107 me the Bible, 252 

Strange sight, sir, an old man There is no other life but the 

unwilling to die, 93 eternal, 44 

Stupid country, where they do There is no time to be lost, 77 

not even know, 224 There's nothing to beat that, 

Suffer no pomp at my funeral, Hugh, 87 

nor monumental inscription, There is nothing solid but re- 

138 ligious ideas, 243 

Sun, thou hast betrayed me, These passages may be found 

155 on the following pages, 221 

Support me, let not my brave They will come off better af- 

soldiers see me drop, 310. ter, 216 

Think more of death than of 

Tay hip! 145 me, 14 

Take care of poor mistress, This block will be my pillow, 

154 265 

Take care of Maria, 294 This day let me see the Lord 

" Taught, half by reason, half Jesus, 153 

by mere decay," 203 This is a beautiful world, 101 

Tell Collingwood to bring the This is a sharp medicine, but 

fleet to anchor, 207 a sure remedy, 233 

Tell Emerson that I love and This is a struggle which all 

revere him, 270 men must go through, 313 

Tell Hill he must come up, This is death, 316 

162 This is not my home, 16 

Tell them to go forward and This is the toilette of death, 

do a good work, 73 68 

Texas ! Texas ! Margaret, 137 This soul in flames I offer, 

Thank God, I have done my Christ, to thee, 153 

duty, 207 This unworthy right hand, 70 

Thank God! Thank Heaven! Those are the spirits of my 

197 little girls, 109 

Thank God, to-morrow I shall Thou dog, 203 

join the glorious company Thou hast conquered, O Gali- 

above, 87 lean! thou hast conquered! 

Thank you, my child, 31 155 

334 






ITnfcei 



Thou hast said truly, consum- 
matum est, 27 

Thou knowest, O Lord, the 
secrets of our hearts, 158 

Thou, Lord, bruisest me; but 
I am abundantly satisfied, 
53 

Throw a quilt over it, 105 

Throw up the window that 
I may see once more, 244 

Thy creatures, O Lord, have 
been my books, 19 

" Thy kingdom come, thy 
will be done," 65 

Tired — very tired — a long jour- 
ney — to take, 124 

To be like Christ is to be a 
Christian, 223 

To judge by what I now en- 
dure, the hand of death, 243 

To sleep — to die, 305 

Toffro il tuo proprio Figlio, 
192 

Trotter will tell you, 101 

Trust in God and you need 
not fear, 89 

Under the feet of my friars, 

85 
Ungrateful traitors! 187 
Useless ! Useless ! 39 

Very little meat for the mus- 
tard, 134 

Vex me not with this thing, 
but give me a simple cross, 

55 
Vos plaudite, 19 

Wally, what is this? It is 
death, my boy, 112 

Water, 116 

Water, 283 

We are all going to heaven, 
and Vandyke is of the com- 
pany, 106 

We are ready — soldiers, fire ! 
78 

We part to meet again, I hope, 
in endless joy, 137 

We return no more, 242 



We shall not lose our lives in 

this fire, 214 
We shall then desire nothing, 

42 
We will endeavor to crawl to 

this line, 136 
We will go to Jerusalem, 171 
Weep not for me, 6 
Weep not for me, but for 

yourselves, 48 
Welcome the Cross of Christ, 

welcome everlasting life, 

246 
Well! God's will be done. 

He knows best, 289 
Well, ladies, if I were one 

hour in heaven, 186 
Well, my friend, what news 

frcm the Great Mogul? 

201 
Well, my God, I consent with 

all my heart, 171 
Were the Church of Christ 

what she should be, 53 
Were you at Sedan? 206 
What an idle piece of cere- 
mony, 43 
What ! art thou, too, one of 

them ! Thou, my son ! 52 
What can it signify? 70 
What I cannot utter with my 

mouth, 232 
What is that? 268 
When I am dead, my children, 

74 
When I think of the exist- 
ence which shall commence, 

55 
When nature has abandoned 

an unhappy victim, 192 
While there is life, there is 

will, 44 
Who is near me? 64 
Why, certainly, certainly! 274 
Why dost thou not strike? 

Strike ! 233 
Why weep ye ? Did you think 

that I could live forever? 

271 
Will no one have pity on me? 

Here, fire here! 288 



335 



fln&ex 



Will you tell the archdea- 
con t 9 
.With all my heart: I would 

fain be reconciled to my 

stomach, 98 
Whose house is this? What 

street are we in? 47 
Wonderful, wonderful, this 

death, 98 
Worst is I cannot see, The, 

273 
Write the word " Remorse " ; 

show it to me, 234 

Yes ! 102 
Yes! 176 
Yes, it would be rash to say 

that they have no reasons, 

56 
Yes, yes, sing that for me, 288 
Yes, comme un damne, 273 



Yet I was once your emperor, 

293 
You are fighting for an earthly 

crown, 107 
You are good fellows, but you 

can do nothing for me, 23 
You make me drink. Pray 

leave me quiet, 62 
You may go home, the show 

is over, 79 
You need not be anxious con- 
cerning to-night, 58 
You see what is man's life, no 
You will show my head to the 

people, 77 
Young man, keep your record 

— 115 
Young man, you have heard 
no doubt, how great are the 
terrors, 22 



336 



JUU8/948 



Ocv 2 IMtt 






*J&. ^ 






^ 



, ^"'; , ^ ,, ""4^ 



o- o 



<« 



V** 




^°- 



\> „ ■< * o 



9-,/'', 



^ % 










;\ 




^•O 



£^ 




^ ^ 









^ 



..% 










V 



rP .^> 0° - 



>* 



".% 














0*\<-.,<* 



<2 <> 













HI 









"W • 






^,.r& 



* r <& ^ Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 

* * S 0^ y * o <> ' **" JCF y * o <* ' * * s " r^ y * n < Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 

CP\. * I ° ' „ ' Treatment Date: Dec. 2007 

\\ PreservationTechnologies 

? a A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 

111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 
^ r- 









s ^ 



5> ^ 






'V^ 



c- / 






^& 



; "V o^ 




^ V 



,* 4 < 






°\/ = \#* : 






^<? 



^d< 













C , 



^-d 1 









^ 














& °* 



v 



h <F\ 



V 









"%> 0°' , 



> x 



JF 



^ % 



* oV 



v 






\* 



* 4 <& 









^ x 






\) 












^ 






^ 



^ 






^0 % 






a5 Q, 



^ <*. 


















% 















' 



<5 Q, 



W 

d a 



v<*fe 



tf 



vV 



^ <*. 












iV 






